“I Can't Go Home Without My Walker!” A Novel Discharge Simulation Enhancing Interprofessional Clinical Care

Discharging a patient from the hospital can be a complex process that involves the careful coordination of several interprofessional teams to complete safely and effectively. However, education on the roles within this interprofessional team is often not formally taught and overall exposure to teams prior to residency is limited. According to some estimates, less than half of medical students are taught in clinical simulations that involve students from more than one profession. By creating a discharge OSCE (observed structure clinical examination) where students are asked to coordinate with a physical therapist for success completion, students are taught what the various team members are responsible for and who to seek out for questions. Through sharing of this novel discharge OSCE format, as well as outcomes related to learners' understanding and preparedness, this talk aims to inspire other creative interprofessional learning environments that prepare for more effective collaboration on the wards.