I had the chance to work with Tez and Aubrey to develop a workshop on simulation learning. As an anaesthetist, Tez must regularly develop scenarios to promote the learning of residents in anesthesia. Aubrey is a nurse and often organizes simulations in her workplace for the training of nurses. So they already had a lot of knowledge in this area and I was lucky to benefit from it!
Personally, I chose this topic because in geriatrics, simulations are a good way to assess residents’ abilities to manage emotional clinical situations (e.g.: announcement of a diagnosis or a bad news), complex psychosocial situations (e.g.: dysfunctional family, discussion for relocation) and difficult patients (e.g.: patients with cognitive problems). However, currently this method of evaluation is not part of our curriculum. I think it would be interesting to add simulation-based learning to the geriatric program to help residents develop these skills.
Here’s my way of looking at the lifecycle of our team based on the steps described by Tuckman (1977):
Stage 1: Forming
At the biginning, we determined a working method that was suitable for all group members. Our objectives were to separate tasks fairly, to organize regular meetings and to submit homework before the deadline. I sincerely believe that our organization, rigour and assiduity have been major assets for our teamwork. In addition, the charter team (see below) helped us identify the strengths of each member and make the most of them.
Stage 2: Storming
Given the magnitude of the task, we started to discuss together and articulate our ideas. At this stage, I think our communication skills have been very helpful. We all know that communication is essential to create a good working environment and to be effective (University of Waterloo, 2020). As a group, we had several good communicator skills:
– All members could clearly express their point of views
– Actively listening to others
– We were comfortable to ask questions to clarify others’ ideas and emotions
English is a second language for me and sometimes I have difficulty expressing my ideas clearly. Nevertheless, I felt that my colleagues were very respectful, open-minded and understanding. I particularly enjoyed working with them for this reason.
Stage 3: Norming
When we met for the third time, I felt that our work was more fluid. We knew each other a little better and we were able to work together to move the project forward. At that time, each person’s strengths and challenges were clearer and we were also able to help each other.
Stage 4: Performing
I feel like this stage was a little more difficult for our team to reach. The understanding of the project and expectations was not exactly the same for all team members, which slowed our progress. I remember that during a meeting, we took a moment to re-read the instructions, clarify our ideas and answer everyone’s questions From that moment on, I felt that we had a common goal and we were all working in the same direction. Our team was then more united, which allowed us to complete our workshop.
Honestly, I didn’t have any particular difficulty throughout this project. Our group had no significant weaknesses. The biggest challenge was to find moments for our meetings, considering everyone’s busy schedule. By organizing shorter but more frequent meetings and using WhatsApp, we were able to achieve our goals. During our first week of INTAPT, we received feedback on the high frequency of our meetings. However, these moments were very important for us to get to know each other, exchange ideas and foster collaboration. We therefore maintained our meetings every two weeks. Thus, we’ve built strong bonds as a group and this was observable in our work.
I am very happy with my learning and the work we have accomplished. I have met extraordinary women and health professionals. I’m sure we’ll keep in touch after INTAPT 2019-2020!
ePortfolio 