Impact On The Health And Wellness of Faculty And Students During The COVID-19 Pandemic

Ronda Sturgill (The University of Tampa); Suzanne Ensmann (The University of Tampa); Lina Gomez-Vasquez (The University of Tampa); Aimee Whiteside (The University of Tampa)

This presentation discusses the impact on health and wellness of faculty and students transitioning to remote learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. Faculty (N=242) and students (N=711) at a mid-sized southeastern private institution were surveyed midway through the Spring 2020 semester. Using exploratory research, participants answered closed and open-ended questions related to health, wellness, and overall experience. After the semester, faculty (34%) and students (46%) reported being worried, struggling, or in a dark place. Stress coping mechanisms, tools to support physical health and mindfulness strategies varied. A faculty member stated, “We had 2 different group projects across different student groups in my course to foster connections, and their exit essays identified that for most students, these groups were essential to managing their mental health as connected study groups.” A student responded, “When we did more discussions during video sessions, I felt more mentally engaged in class and less distractedby being home”. Only 37% of faculty and 29% of students used wearable technology (Fitbits) to support physical activity and mindfulness. Recommendations to support wellness in remote learning will be provided.

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Infusing Virtual Standardized Patient Simulations Into A Masters SLP Curriculum For Pediatric Diagnostic Skill Practice

Natalie Neubauer (Seton Hall University); Jennifer McCarthy MAS, NRP, CHSE

This presentation will discuss the framework of a virtual pediatric diagnostic Standardized Patient (SP) simulation designed for SLP graduate students. This activity was intended to measure student’s application of principles learned in the diagnostic course related to administering a portion of the CELF-5 language assessment section. Students gathered data independently from their SP encounter, then worked in dyads to score, interpret test data, and complete a written clinical evaluation summary. This allowed fordemonstration and practice of test execution skills, identification and analysis of assessment performance and synthesizing data into written form. Strategies for feedback included SP verbal feedback on professional interaction skills, a faculty rubric evaluating assessment competencies and student self-reflection via a plus delta form. The virtual simulation proved successful in providing a controlled atmosphere to evaluate student's diagnostic skills both in real time and through recordings. Students reported increased confidence in conducting assessment procedures through the use of remote simulation and the benefits of peer learning through collaboration. Prior video modeling also supported performance accuracy.

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Workforce Ready Solutions to Treating Patients Post COVID-19

Bari Hoffman Ruddy (University of Central Florida); Vicki Lewis, MS CCC-SLP

A new course titled: Clinical Practice in Medical Speech-Language Pathology was developed at the University of Central Florida geared toward preparing workforce ready professionals to meet the complex needs of medically compromised patients, including those with COVID-19. The purpose of the course was to prepare both students enrolled in theMaster’s program in Communication Sciences and Disorders at UCF and community-based certified speech-language pathologists with a foundation to work as part of an interdisciplinary team with complex patients in various medical settings throughout the continuum of care. A foundation of applied physiology and the impact of impairment on communication, breathing and swallowing function was covered. Medical interventions across complex medical conditions was emphasized along with palliative care and ethical concerns infused across the curriculum. This fully online course implemented simulation activities mailing enrolled students a ‘kit’ to practice tracheostomy, speaking valve care and infection prevention. Discussion focuses on course development, outcomes and workforce ready solutions.

Questions? Contact Dr. VIcki Lewis at Vicki.Lewis@ucf.edu.

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Interinstitutional Simulated Telemedicine Collaboration To Provide Athletic Training Clinical Experiences

Dorice Hankemeier (Ball State University); Stacey Gaven (University of Indianapolis)

Issue to Be Addressed: The COVID-19 pandemic called for new modes of clinical education; simulated telemedicine encounters allowed students to utilize their clinical skills while adjusting to new methods of patient care delivery.

Method: Two athletic training programs worked together to create standardized cases for a variety of medical conditions including orthopedic, general medical, and psychosocial. Students from one institution were trained to serve as a standardized patient for students from the other institution. Students were then given the contact information for their patient and set up a telemedicine consult. Students conducted patient evaluations via a telemedicine platform and created a plan of care for the patient.

Outcomes: Students wereable to demonstrate patient care skills in a telemedicine encounter and also learned by serving as the patient. Student self-reflection indicated that they learned the importance of clear communication when unable to physically evaluate a patient.

Conclusion: Collaboration among programs at different institutions allows students to interact with each other and allowed them to learn as both the patient and the clinician.

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Fostering Intra-Professional Teamwork And Communication Through A Collaborative, Virtual Simulation Experience For DPT and PTA Students

Jillian Duff (Seton Hall University); Marcia Downer (Seton Hall University)

Purpose: Evaluate effects of a virtual intra-professional simulation experience on perceptions of PTA roles and collaborative competency in DPT and PTA students.

Methods: A cohort of DPT and PTA students received a synchronous online lecture on the Role of the PTA followed by a training session on the use of the SBAR (Situation-Background-Assessment-Recommendation) tool and orientation to the EHRgo Case platform. Small groups of students worked together to virtually manage the care of two concurrent patient cases during a subsequent remote simulation event. All students completed the PTA Roles Survey prior to and on completion of the sevent. Students also completed the Interprofessional Collaborative Competency Attainment Survey (ICCAS).Pre and post test data from the PTA Roles Survey will be analyzed using t-tests (p < .05). Non parametric Mann Whiney / Wilcoxen tests will be used to analyze the ICCAS responses (p < .05).

Results: A pilot study found significantly increased DPT student scores on a PTA roles test (p < .02). 88% reported the experience contributed to their ability to communicate and practice collaboratively. Unfortunately, COVID 19 caused postponement of the 2020 event and data analysis is ongoing.

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COVID-19 Related Innovation: Journal Club Assignments

Gail Orum (Keck Graduate Institute School of Pharmacy and Health Sciences)

Hypothesis/Issue to be addressed: The issue was to develop a journal club assignment using Zoom rather than face-to-face, to improve students' presentation skills and prepare them for advancement to the Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experiences (APPE).

Methods: The PHAR 588 Geriatric Patient Care elective course enrolled 32 third year (P3) pharmacy students in Spring 2020. Due to the online format, the journal club assignment was modified to two journal club assignments in teams, with pre-selected articles. The presentation rubrics included written and presentation skills totaling 36 points. Teams had ten minutes for presentation and five minutes for question and answer.Each student was required to speak. There were four teams total.

Observations/Outcomes: The class mean between the first and second journal clubs was 28/36 and 31.75/36, respectively. Teams that performed poorly in the first journal club, demonstrated thegreatest improvement in the second. For example, team A scored 20/36 on the first journal club, but scored 33/36 on the second. Teams with high scores in the first journal club, showed 1-2 point drop in scores.

Conclusion: Virtual journal clubs can be effective in improving students' presentation skills.

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The COVID-19 IPE Pivot: Building Interprofessional Teams Through Online Non-Technical Skill (ONTS) SIM-IPE

Judi Schack-Dugré (University of Florida);Jennifer Jordan Utley (CIPE); Karen Snyder (University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences)

Hypothesis: COVID-19 forced a pivot of IPE to online delivery globally. Online non-technical SIM-IPE is a scalable, low-cost educational strategy that lacks representation in the literature. This study measured the effectiveness of online non-technical skill (ONTS) SIM-IPE to change attitudes toward interprofessional teams and team approach to care. Methods: A quasi-experimental pre/post-test design using the SPICE-R2 explored the effectiveness of ONTS SIM-IPE to change attitudes toward team-based care in graduate health professions students. Outcomes: Post-test scores on the SPICE-R2 revealed significant differences in the following subscales: Roles/Responsibility (Z=-.313, p<.002), Patient Outcomes (Z=-.347, p<.001). Conclusion: Based on these results, ONTS SIM-IPE is an effective instructional method that isscalable to meet the global needs of contemporary graduate health professions’ education. The novel nature of these results leads to the need for standardization in ONTS SIM-IPE pedagogies and research designs. This pedagogical agenda is a necessity as global health crises requires social distancing in the delivery of interprofessional education.

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Implementation of HyFlex Professional Physical Therapy Education within the COVID-19 Blindspot

Lisa Dorsey (Saint Louis University); Ginge Kettenbach (Saint Louis University), Carol Beckel (Saint Louis University), Tricia M. Austin (Saint Louis University)

Issue: The COVID-19 pandemic ignited rapid change in higher education (ed) delivery. Physical Therapy (PT) ed faced the challenges of pivoting to remote pedagogy for didactic coursework and interruption of clinical ed. Immediate items to address during change included maintaining shared governance, Program strategic plan alignment and trust of university leadership for flexible curricular delivery. Method: Implementing HyFlex curricular models for professional courses including didactic and clinical experiences for over 240 PT students in three cohorts. Unique scheduling of courses allowed for complementary timing between didactic and clinical courses. Outcomes: Continued cohort progression toward on-time graduation occurred, in part, due to strong clinical partnerships, university-level collaboration,and collective faculty and staff willingness to quickly pivot and consider all options in our professional curriculum. Conclusion: The silver lining to crisis management was the opportunity for innovative faculty thought around curricular delivery, creating a technologically sophisticated educational model that may continue to prevail in the coming years, complementing traditional psychomotor skill development and delivery.

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A Multi-Layer Model of Clinical Skill Training Using Virtual Simulation Technology

Natalie Neubauer (Seton Hall University); Vikram Dayalu (Seton Hall University); Caryn Grabowski (Seton Hall University)

This presentation describes a virtual simulation curriculum supporting final semester SLP masters students in attaining clinical competency for entry-level practice in lieu of in-person clinicals during COVID-19. Group 1 (>30 hours needed) & Group 2 (< 30 hours needed): Over 8 or 6 weeks, respectively, students completed virtual assessments, "task trainers", and interventions. Extent of case practice was contingent on prior skill exposure and hours needed. Group 3 (Required no clinical hours): Student teams completed cases aligned with clinical externship caseload (e.g. adult vs. pediatric). SLP’s lead collaborative student debriefs focused on peer modeling, problem-based and reflective learning. Formative assessments included simulation “scores”, clinical documentation, and case discussions. A summative competency assessment was used to measure student clinical skills (e.g. interprofessional practice, differential diagnosis) for pediatric and adult cases. All students met or exceeded competencies required of entry level clinicians. A prescriptive virtual simulation curriculum supplementing in-person skill learning proved to be effective for students to meet program completion and professional credentialing requirements.

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Implementation of an Interprofessional 1-800-Covid-19 Hotline Call Center Training Simulation

Layla Simmons (University of Arkansas Medical Sciences); Karhryn Neill (University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences); Jared Gowen (University of Arkansas for Medical Scicences); Kristen Sterba (University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences); Megan Lane (University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences)

On March 13th, 2020 an academic health center suspended onsite classes due to the first confirmed case of COVID-19 in the state. Faculty across 5 colleges and the graduate school rapidly implemented alternative methods of instruction to complete coursework for the spring semester. Concurrent to suspension of onsite classes, the health center instituted a 1-800 COVID-19 Hotline to support the public health emergency. The hotline provided rapid access to a health screening algorithm via a telehealth platform.On-campus IPE simulations were converted to an online platform and a new simulation was developed to address COVID-19 disease information, screening algorithm and decision tree tools, and telemedicine care. The simulation format consisted of orientation, IP team review of screening algorithm and decision tree for preparation for patient encounter, standardized patient interaction, and debriefing. Three trainings were completed via Zoom™ with 95 interprofessional students. Evaluation metrics include pre/post Interprofessional Collaborative Competencies Attainment Survey (ICCAS), evaluation of learning objectives via Likert scale, and identification of themes from qualitative response items. Descriptive statistics will be shared.

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Transition of an In-Person Culinary Program to Remote Delivery During The Covid-19 Pandemic For Adolescents With Autism Spectrum Disorder

Jeanette Garcia (University of Central Florida); Keith Brazendale (University of Central Florida); Eunkyung Lee (University of Central Florida)

Issue addressed: Five student researchers and four faculty members collaborated with a Central Florida school to deliver an 8-week culinary course to high school participants (n=11) with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). The course consisted of two sessions per week of nutrition education and cooking demonstrations. The COVID-19 pandemic ended the in-person program after six weeks; however, after a 2-week preparation period, the team transitioned the remaining sessions to Zoom.

Methods: To assess program feasibility, participants, their teacher, and the student researchers completed interviews and surveys.

Outcomes: The participant attendance rate was 97% over four weeks, with 91% reporting an interest in participating in a similar program format in the future. The teacher noted that the transition to Zoom was particularly beneficial for participants who displayed high levels of anxiety during the pandemic. All student researchers reported that the transition provided them with a better understanding of the need to adapt community programs and the importance of strong community partnerships.

Conclusion: Delivering remote culinary sessions during the pandemic was feasible and beneficial for both participants and student researchers.

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Taking Clinical Instructors Out of the Clinic: Virtual Small Group Discussions

Darryl Young (SUNY Upstate Medical University) and Marissa Hanlon (SUNY Upstate Medical University)

The terminal clinical experience for the DPT Class of 2020 was postponed due to COVID-19. The situation required a solution to address lost clinic time while providing students with clinically relevant material to address their knowledge gaps and improve their clinical reasoning skills. The course was revised to include virtual clinical instructor (CI) led small group discussions, 1-2 times a week, for 9 weeks. CIs implemented 1-hour sessions, with guidance from the academic faculty, that were setting-specific and individualized to the objectives for the student group. A survey was sent to student and CI participants to gather feedback about the effectiveness of the discussions after 9 weeks. Students and CIs agreed that the small group sessions were helpful in developing the students’ clinical reasoning skills (86% and 100%) and in identifying setting-specific student knowledge gaps (75% and 100%). Additionally, 80% of CIs indicated that the sessions were helpful in further developing their skills as a CI and 61% of students recommended that similar sessions be incorporated into the curriculum for future cohorts. CI guided small group sessions may be an effective way to engage and prepare students for future clinical experiences.

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