Successful Collaboration at the Epley Center for Health Professions

Charity Jones

CDIS Students completing application-based assignment in nursing simulation lab

Charity Jones and Rachel Glade of the Communication Sciences and Disorders program along with Tabitha Teal of the Eleanor Mann School of Nursing have been working this summer to identify new, innovative ways to collaborate within the College of Education and Health Professions. This summer, graduate students in the communication sciences and disorders program utilized the nursing simulation labs for application-based assignments after covering dysphagia following a tracheotomy content in the textbook. Students practiced placing one-way valves, examining the anatomical changes after surgery, executing beside feeding evaluations and experienced what their roles could be in a mock medical setting.  Students also demonstrated pediatric feeding skills using the nursing simulation "babies" for skills such as feeding holds, cheek and jaw supports, and facial molding to improve feeding and swallowing. 

“The simulation lab and collaboration with nursing really expanded my knowledge in the field of swallowing,” said student Elizabeth Coffey. “I loved experiencing the multidisciplinary approach that the medical field takes when it comes to tracheostomies and swallowing difficulties. We learned about the importance of working together to provide best patient outcomes and to work most efficiently as a team. The experience was eye opening and so beneficial to me in my clinical skills.”

Future projects and collaborations include guest lecturing and co-teaching on topics that overlap within the fields of speech-language pathology and nursing.  Future lectures and labs will focus on providing nursing students with a basic overview of swallowing, signs of aspiration and when to refer to a speech-language pathologist. Allison Scott, assistant professor of nursing has been invited to provide CDIS students more in-dept information on pediatric feeding as a lactation consultant.  Both the Communication Sciences and Disorders program and the Eleanor Mann School of Nursing are excited about future collaborations that will further benefit students' interdisciplinary education, provide hands-on experiences, and build collaborative relationships among faculty and students in the College of Education and Health Professions.