Healthcare students complete patient safety training

This fall, 18 healthcare students completed TeamSTEPPS student training.

TeamSTEPPS, which stands for Team Strategies and Tools to Enhance Performance and Patient Safety, was developed by the Department of Defense’s Patient Safety Program as a solution to improving patient safety within healthcare. Over the course of five weeks, students learned about this evidence-based teamwork system to improve communication and teamwork skills. The goal of this training was to provide healthcare pre-professionals the tools to directly improve patient safety.

Students from nursing and pre-health programs across campus came together to learn about crucial skills such as effective communication, situational awareness, mutual support, and leadership — all of which are essential for seamless teamwork in healthcare settings. By understanding the importance of shared decision-making, active listening, and clear information exchange, these students are now better equipped to contribute to interdisciplinary care teams and deliver optimal patient outcomes.

Students reflected weekly in their MAP (My Aspire Plan) to track their learning. One student reflected, “These tools will help shape healthcare by minimizing errors and creating efficient team structure.”

Another student wrote, “The tools we learned today will help me speak out when I think something is wrong and how to go about it. It can be hard to figure out how to navigate assertiveness, but with the strategies I learned today, I am sure that I can accomplish this.”

The successful completion of TeamSTEPPS training by these students represents a significant milestone in their healthcare journey and will impact their future patients. By prioritizing effective communication and teamwork, they are poised to contribute to a future where patient safety and quality of care are paramount.

This program is offered to healthcare students across Carthage every fall to encourage them to focus on patient safety early in their healthcare career. Carthage healthcare students will serve as catalysts for excellence in healthcare by promoting a culture of teamwork, trust, and effective communication within any healthcare team they find themselve a part of.

For more information about this training program, visit the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality website.

Sponsoring Department, Office, or Organization:

The Aspire Center and Pre-Health Program

For more information, contact:

Mandy Long: along3@muurausahvenlampi.com