UA Little Rock Nursing and Social Work Students Align to Promote Interprofessional Healthcare Collaboration
The UA Little Rock School of Nursing is redefining how future healthcare professionals are trained by bringing real-world collaboration into the classroom before students step into a hospital.
An innovative simulation partnership between the School of Nursing and the School of Social Work launched this spring to prepare nursing students for realistic, high-stakes scenarios that students typically don’t experience during hospital-based clinical rotations.
During these interprofessional simulations, the social work and nursing students work together to assess situations and develop patient-centered interventions, mirroring the level of teamwork required in today’s healthcare environments. Faculty members facilitate the scenario and later debrief the students to reflect on communication, teamwork and professionalism.
“Feedback from students has been overwhelmingly positive so far,” said Judy Staley, assistant professor of nursing. “Faculty members have seen noticeable gains in student confidence, and the students have improved in navigating conversations and understanding one another’s roles in patient care.”
The initiative builds on other efforts already taking place within the nursing program, including a new partnership with the American Sign Language (ASL) program.
The program was inspired by a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) capstone led by assistant nursing professor Anna Williams, which was rooted in a simple but critical insight: modern patient care requires strong alliances and synergy.
The program intends to continue expanding simulation activities throughout 2026. The goal is to continue building interprofessional opportunities and enhancing the realism of simulation-based learning over the next several years.
Written by Olivia Hicks