Rehabilitation and Therapy Commons^™

Simulation Enhances Soft Skills Among Inter-Professionals Participating In An International Service-Learning Experience To A Resource-Limited Country, Suzanne Trotter, Sharon Dunnivan-Mitchell

Physical Therapy Collection

Soft skills are the hallmark of a master healthcare provider. One of the most effective ways to teach soft skills is through service-learning. Evidence suggests that adding simulation as part of a service-learning team’s pre-departure training (PDT) will better prepare them to resolve ethical and cultural dilemmas plus facilitate soft skills. We hypothesized that simulation could improve soft skills of healthcare providers delivering rehabilitation services on a one-week service-learning experience in Guatemala

A convenience sample of 21 physical and occupational therapy students and clinicians who participated in four 1-hour PDTs were included in this qualitative study using grounded-theory methods. Training …