MOULTRIE, Ga. — For the second consecutive year, Colquitt Regional held its interprofessional development training exercise for participants in the hospital’s Nurse Residency Program and the Georgia South Family Medicine Residency Program.

Both groups participated in role-playing scenarios that covered communication styles, standardized medical reporting through SBAR (Situation-Background-Assessment-Recommendations), conflict resolution, and communicating effectively in emergencies.

This year’s event saw the introduction of a new training activity, where they participated in various mock scenarios. During this activity, medical students rotating at Colquitt Regional acted as patients and the nurse and medical residents progressed through different stations while actively treating the patient as if it were a live situation.

This type of team-based training was introduced with the purpose of preparing all health professionals to work together to build a safer, higher quality, patient-centered health care system.

“We pride ourselves on providing exceptional care by exceptional people and that starts with training,” said Colquitt Regional President and CEO Jim Matney. “Continuing medical education continues to be a top priority for our hospital. By holding these types of trainings, we are ensuring that our employees and medical staff are informed on the latest procedures and protocols for patient safety.”

Interprofessional collaboration has shown many positive effects in hospitals across the world, such as improved patient outcomes, reduced preventable errors, decreased healthcare costs, and improved relationships with other disciplines.

“We developed this training exercise to help equip our medical students, residents, and nurses with the necessary skills they need to deliver safe, high-quality care to their patients,” said Dr. Woodwin Weeks, associate program director of Georgia South. “When they go through these simulations, they receive invaluable experience and opportunities to work through real-life situations in a controlled environment. This helps to build their confidence and promotes teamwork, which, in turn, positively affects patient outcomes.”

This exercise was conducted with the help of Weeks; Kayla Long, RN, interim director of educational services; Dr. Lisa Young, Georgia South Family Medicine core faculty; Dr. Nick Carden, Behavioral Medicine faculty; Lauri Butler, RN; and Jordan Key, medical education coordinator.

“Healthcare has always been an ever-changing industry, but the pandemic has placed a new importance on staying aligned with up-to-date measures and methods for patient safety,” said Hospital Authority Chairman Richard E. Turner Jr. “It is imperative that we provide employees opportunities for continuing education and hands-on experiences. I commend all of our leaders and physicians who lend their time and expertise to the training of our residents, students, and nurses.”