A groundbreaking disaster response simulation at UNMC is helping to close a curriculum gap for graduate nursing students.
On April 4, UNMC College of Nursing faculty Jennifer Cera, DNP, APRN-NP, WHNP-BC, FAUNA and Rebecca Swanson, DNP, APRN-NP, CPNP-AC/PC, along with Nancy Krusen, PhD, OTR/L, FAOTA from the UNMC College of Allied Health Professions, spearheaded a pilot Interprofessional Education (IPE) simulation focused on emergency preparedness.
An in-depth analysis performed by graduate nursing faculty found a common denominator in their respective specialty programs; all identified gaps in Domain 3: Population Health and Domain 6: Interprofessional Partnerships.
The simulation’s production was led by Drs. Cera and Swanson in response to meet requisites to successfully implement the new American Association of Colleges of Nursing’s DNP Essentials.
Along with recommendations from UNMC’s HEROES program, the four-hour in-person event prepared students for natural disaster and public health emergencies. Twelve graduate nursing and Doctor of Occupational Therapy students participated in a simulated tornado scenario affecting a critical access hospital. The exercise included a tabletop incident command followed by a simulated patient evacuation.
The IPE simulation began with an incident command briefing of a tornado that affected a critical access hospital. Students were divided into teams to either evacuate or receive patients with varying medical diagnoses and acuity. Assigned specific roles, they completed job action sheets and worked through strategies for safe patient transfer. The final phase took place at the Davis Global Center, where students enacted the evacuation.
In post-event debriefs, students reported a deeper appreciation for interprofessional teamwork and the complexity of disaster response. They also recognized the importance of integrating emergency preparedness into their specified curriculum.
Students completed the Interprofessional Collaborative Competencies Attainment Survey (ICCAS-21), showing improved scores from pre- to post-event, in all domains assessed, including communication, collaboration, roles and responsibilities, conflict management, team functioning and patient-centered care.
Drs. Cera, Swanson and Krusen had the fortunate opportunity to present their pilot IPE Emergency Preparedness Simulation event at two conferences: the Sigma Gamma Pi at-Large Annual Research Symposium, and at Collaborating Across Borders IX 2025 International Conference, where they were able to gain further insight with international and national experts.
The simulation demonstrated the value of interprofessional disaster training in strengthening healthcare collaboration and response. Moving forward, the UNMC College of Nursing plans to expand participation to students from medicine, allied health, and public health, with full integration into the nursing curriculum set for Fall 2025.