Interdisciplinary Simulation Using the Cardiopulmonary Bypass Simulator (CPBS)?

Interdisciplinary education offerings between students of cardiovascular science and nurse anesthesia are uncommon despite the collaborative nature of these disciplines. The dual purpose of this article is to describe a method for interdisciplinary simulation and to report survey responses provided by participants. An interdisciplinary simulation session using concurrent use of the cardiopulmonary bypass simulator and the emergency care simulator is described. Interdisciplinary perceptions before and after the event were surveyed using the revised Interdisciplinary Education Perception Scale. Statistically significant differences between baseline and final survey responses were observed in the total score and within the areas of competency and perception of cooperation. Emerging simulation technologies and novel combinations of existing devices can facilitate meaningful interdisciplinary educational opportunities for health science students.