Design and implementation of a mid-fidelity simulation-based workshop for adult practice in speech and language therapy

<p dir="ltr">Background: Simulation-based learning (SBL) has become a valuable teaching pedagogy used within health science programs, including Speech and Language Therapy (SLT). SBL is integrated into both academic curricula and clinical practicum, with the latter gaining traction over the past decade. Several countries have applied SBL in their SLT clinical practicum but it has not been reported locally. The Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT) SLT Programme conducts 5 blocks of Clinical Practice Education (CPE) or clinical practicum. They are conducted across four years, with each CPE block targeting increasing competency levels. The final two CPE blocks require students to demonstrate entry-level competency in both adult and paediatric settings. Students often report that they are unconfident or not clinically ready for entry-level CPEs because: (1) relevant academic and clinical modules in earlier trimesters may be distal from their entry-level CPE, or (2) there may be insufficient opportunities to engage with all clinical activities in their earlier CPE blocks. </p><p dir="ltr">Objective: To improve our students' clinical readiness for entry-level CPE in the adult setting, we designed a three half-day simulation-based preparation workshop prior to the students' CPE. </p><p dir="ltr">Methods: Our workshop adopted the SBL framework by Hewat et al. (2020) for SLT. The initial planning phase emphasized a thorough understanding of the context and the learner, driving the learning objectives and learning activities in the workshop. Students engaged in ten learning activities for two patients. The learning activities mimic routine clinical tasks students do during their CPE including assessment, intervention and updating caregivers. The learning activities are done as mid-fidelity simulation to provide a sense of realism but avoiding the high cost associated with high-fidelity simulation. All learning objectives and learning activities were mapped to the Professional and Occupational Competencies outlined in Competency Assessment in Speech Pathology (COMPASS), a standardized, competency-based, summative assessment tool used to assess SLT students during CPE. This mapping ensured constructive alignment in the workshop design and increased the fidelity of the SBL to more authentically represent scenarios during CPE; thus, enhancing the likelihood of transference of cognitive, psychomotor, and affective aspects of clinical performance from the workshop to CPE. </p><p dir="ltr">Results: Preliminary quantitative and qualitative feedback was gathered from students. Their experiences of this workshop to facilitate a smoother transition into the demands of the entry-level CPE in the adult setting will be presented in the conference. </p><p dir="ltr">Conclusion: This simulation-based workshop exemplifies how applied learning strategies can be used in SLT education to bridge the gap between academic preparation and real-world clinical practice, ensuring that students feel more equipped and confident to achieve entry-level competency. Health science programmes seeking to boost the preparedness of their students prior to placements, especially advanced clinical blocks, may consider implementing SBL.</p>