Abstract

Online patient simulations (OPS) have emerged as a feasible and acceptable means of teaching clinical skills. In this pilot study, we tested the impact of an OPS on suicide risk assessment on the skills and confidence of MSW students, and assessed whether higher utilization of the OPS corresponded to greater skill acquisition. Participants were 16 MSW students enrolled in a semester-long elective course on understanding suicide. The OPS was embedded into the course and offered via SIMmersion. Wilcoxon tests were conducted to determine statistically significant changes in SIMmersion scores and self-reported confidence. Participants were grouped into low and high SIMmersion utilization groups and Mann-Whitney U tests were used to compare SIMmersion scores between groups. There was a significant increase from students' baseline to highest SIMmersion score and from baseline to last SIMmersion score. There was a significant difference in the highest SIMmersion score for the low versus high utilization group. Finally, participants' confidence significantly increased. These results offer preliminary evidence that OPS, embedded within a course on suicide, can be a safe, effective, and efficient tool in preparing MSW students to conduct suicide risk assessments. Future research should continue testing this intervention's effectiveness.