Telehealth, in-person COVID-19 scenarios help train future healthcare professionals

Despite the textbooks, lectures and study sessions, future health professionals can face many unknowns during their first interactions with patients. Will they ask the right questions? Will they know the right answers? How will they connect with their patients?

For the past 12 years, students at the University of Delaware have been able to safely practice their technical and interpersonal skills in a safe environment through the Healthcare Theatre program. Healthcare Theatre trains students to portray patients and family members for interactive, high-fidelity, simulation-based education experiences.

Thinking on your feet, responding quickly and being able to handle stressful situations are critical skills for both actors and healthcare professionals. Earlier this year, with the coronavirus disrupting its typical simulation scenarios, Healthcare Theatre decided to use the pandemic as a one-of-a-kind teaching opportunity.

The program transitioned from in-person simulations to telehealth, tweaking some of its scenarios to better fit a virtual setting while still giving students the chance to practice their skills — and perhaps pick up a few more through the use of telehealth.

Now, as healthcare professionals around the globe navigate the return of in-person visits, Healthcare Theatre has pivoted again to help UD students interact face-to-face with patients despite social distancing, personal protective equipment and other challenges brought on by the pandemic.

Read the full story from University of Delaware here.