CONGRESS 2023 - Improving employability through simulation learning

Authentic learning experiences and simulations are an established approach to healthcare education known to prepare students for the world of work. A recent study showed that 93% of employers believed that biomedical science graduates failed to meet employability requirements due to lack of practical and technical skills (Hussain and Hicks, 2022). Whilst placements can bridge these gaps, opportunities are limited and unpaid, restricting accessibility. Organising careers events and collaboration with The School of Health and Society, external employers, the Careers and Enterprise team and key stakeholders has enhanced the curriculum content to meet the needs of employers. Development of the mentorship group, Biomedical Science Careers Support at the University of Salford has enabled successful career development for students. Collaborating with The School of Health and Society, the implementation of an interprofessional education event will be embedded into the curriculum. A recent project involving the introduction of Pathology specimen reception and blood transfusion simulations, allowed students to practice workplace skills, while enabling aspects of the profession to be taught that would otherwise have been impossible to teach. Introducing scenarios coupled with authentic workplace dilemmas including health and safety, quality, and problem solving, not only helps satisfy degree accreditation, but facilitating reflection also feeds into a requirement for HCPC registration and continuous professional development. Related to this, the Biomedical Science mentorship group has also introduced the trial of a ‘portfolio club’. Here students were supported by the teams IBMS portfolio verifier to begin collecting evidence towards their IBMS Registration Training Portfolio. The impact of these activities has already been demonstrated, for instance 100% success rate with placement applications for those students who engaged in this extracurricular club. Data collected from surveys from participants and feedback from employers forms an evidence base to demonstrate the success of authentic learning experiences and improving employability. The added value of academics from professional backgrounds and cross University collaboration can be expanded to encompass further areas of biomedical science and healthcare careers, with progression to include patient contact and pre-placement professionalism training. These authentic learning experiences and simulations can be sustainably integrated into various areas of the curriculum to bridge the skills gap and improve employment opportunities to all graduates.

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