Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center Pediatric Emergency Department

Hershey, Pennsylvania

The pediatric emergency department at Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center has partnered with the Improving

Pediatric Acute Care Through Simulation (ImPACTS) collaborative. The collaborative uses in situ simulation to build relationships between interdisciplinary teams within the ED. Utilizing a hub-and-spoke model to bring simulation resources and sessions to general emergency departments allows for further relationship building and coordination. The goal of this collaboration has been to educate providers of all levels and to build on the positive relationship between nursing and providers. The curriculum helped the team identify areas of learning and growth throughout the interdisciplinary cohort, particularly in burn care and neonatal resuscitation. The sessions have allowed for valuable multi-directional teaching opportunities as general emergency physicians and APP’s had the opportunity to learn from pediatric emergency nurses.

Another initiative focused on violence prevention and identifying at-risk behaviors. These efforts included specialized mandatory training, crisis behavior assessment tools, and increased partnership with our security team. This partnership included implementing a Behavioral De-escalation Response Team and identifying safe rooms. To support the physical and mental well-being of the staff member, debriefing with leadership and with the staff chaplain is offered.