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Swallowing is a complex process. It requires the coordinated work of
around 24 pairs of muscles and many nerves to receive food into the
mouth, prepare it, and move it through the pharynx to the stomach.
Most people don’t give swallowing a second thought, but for those
suffering from dysphagia — a disorder that hinders the ability to
swallow— it can be a serious challenge every day.
Thankfully, speech-language pathologists who specialize in
swallowing disorders can effectively evaluate and treat dysphagic
patients. One of the primary tools these specialists use is a clinical
swallowing exam.
This past February, Harris College of Nursing & Health Sciences offered
a first-of-its-kind simulation to students interested in learning more
about the swallowing exams specialists perform. The interprofessional
exercise was open to both first-year communication sciences and
disorders (COSD) graduate students and those from other areas within
Harris College, such as nursing.
The collaborative simulation gave 20 students the opportunity to
conduct a clinical evaluation in a staged environment to facilitate
learning — not only about how to conduct a swallowing exam, but
also about how to best communicate with patients and nursing staff.
Two faculty members pioneered this innovative exercise: Jimmie
Borum, assistant professor of professional practice in nursing and
director of the Health Professions Learning Center, and Laurel Lynch, a
clinical supervisor and lecturer in COSD.
Because most health care is a team-based, Harris College has
developed an increasing number of programs in recent years to
hone students’ interprofessional skills and better prepare them for
clinical practice. “You can’t learn in a vacuum— interacting with other
types of professionals is highly beneficial because it enriches student
training and, ultimately, patient care,” said Lynch.
Students in the simulation practiced all aspects of a traditional
swallowing exam: thoroughly reviewing the patient’s case history;
gathering information from the nursing staff; interviewing the patient
and family; and conducting cranial nerve and motor exams. They
also had the patient perform trial swallows with various liquid and
food textures.
During the simulation, second-year COSD graduate students stood
in as “patients.” They took their roles seriously, transforming into
87-year-old seniors in need of a swallowing exam (dysphagia is
especially common among the elderly) by using the simulation lab’s
wide selection of wigs, glasses and hospital gowns. Faculty associates
Lori Camperlengo and Catherine Burkham added another layer of
detail by practicing their theatrical make-up application skills on
the students.
Borum and Lynch both hope to continue these kind of simulations in
the future to further improve interprofessional communication
and understanding.
“I can’t over-emphasize the high value of hands-on training,” said
Lynch. “I feel fortunate that TCU and Harris College provide such
wonderful resources that help make learning fun and effective
for students.”
TEAM PLAYERS:
STUDENTS ENGAGE IN COLLABORATIVE SIMULATION
TO HELP DIAGNOSE DYSPHAGIA
By Vicky Wang ’14
“
I CAN’T OVER-EMPHASIZE THE HIGH
VALUE OF
HANDS-ON TRAINING”
COSD graduate students Liesa Kuhns and Nate Thorp ‘14 dressed up as elderly
patients. Head injuries from falling (like the ones depicted here) are often “red
flags” for dysphagia.
FEATURES
Harris College Magazine
- 2014 ·
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