In Toulouse, caregivers fly an A320 to work on soft skills
For the past year, an anesthetist-resuscitator from Toulouse has set up an original training course for caregivers. To address soft skills in stressful situations, it offers a flight simulation experience in an A380.
Piloting an A320 for the first time, without knowing the controls or the language of the aeronautical world or the crew members in the cockpit. This is the challenge taken up by fifth-year students from the Toulouse midwifery school, associated with obstetrician-gynecologists from the Toulouse University Hospital. The highlight of their enhanced soft skills training was a three-person flight simulator.
“Become aware of what the brain makes us do in stressful situations”
“Our caregiver training is magnificent in terms of technical skills. But, if we want to go further in securing and making care more reliable, we must also train in non-technical skills. As the world of aeronautics did forty years ago”, explains Dr Régis Fuzier, anesthesiologist at the IUCT-Oncopole, also a pilot, who initiated this original training. For the past year, he has been leading caregivers to confront complicated, stressful situations in a world that is unknown to them. “To become aware of what the brain does to us in stressful situations and of the skills that we can develop”, sums up the doctor.
Léa Barbottin, student midwife, took place in the flight simulator. She will be at the controls of the A 320 with Dr Laure Connan, obstetrician-gynecologist at the Toulouse University Hospital, who will be in charge of communicating with the control tower. Behind them, Anne Vrigneau, student midwife, also brought her help. Because the scenario planned by the instructor will obviously include its share of disturbances and problems to be solved. “I sometimes saw myself on stage when everyone was talking at the same time”, observes Léa Barbottin. “Me, at the back, I was frustrated to do nothing. But gradually, I saw the parallel with situations where double checking is important or those for which it is necessary to take ten seconds of hindsight for the analyzer”, adds Anne Vrigneau. “We have seen how important the accuracy of words and communication are. We weren’t in our world, we couldn’t reassure ourselves behind the technique”, confirms Dr Laure Connan.