An Interprofessional Geriatric Experiential Learning Experience: Its Impact on Physical and Occupational Therapist Students

Abstract

Introduction. Accreditation standards for physical therapist (PT) education require the inclusion of interprofessional education (IPE) in order to prepare health care professionals to work in collaborative environments. Additional guidelines document the need to educate PT students in the care of older adults; however, a gap in readiness for entry-level practice exists. Therefore, there were three purposes of this study that were to 1) examine the impact of an IPE experiential learning project on PT and occupational therapist (OT) students' knowledge and attitudes toward each other's professions, 2) examine students' comfort, value, and ability to work with another profession, and 3) assess the project's impact on PT and OT students' attitudes toward older adults. Methods. Physical therapist and OT student groups, under the supervision of faculty, evaluated a community dwelling older adult over 3 visits and developed a comprehensive wellness program, which was provided by the students on visit 4. Students completed 2 surveys: the Interprofessional Socialization and Valuing Scale (ISVS) and Kogan's Attitude Towards Old People Scale (KAOP), prior to and at the conclusion of the project. Results. The Wilcoxon’s signed rank test showed significant increases after the completion of the IPE project in the total ISVS (P < .001) median scale scores for all students and on the subscales regarding the ability (P < .001), value (P < .001), and comfort (P < .001) in working with others. Significant increases were observed for all students on the total KAOP scale scores (P < .001) and the positive subscale scores (P < .001); significant decreases were observed in the negative subscale scores (P < .001). Discussion and Conclusion. This study demonstrates a successful IPE experiential learning project used to enhance PT and OT students' abilities, values, and comfort with collaborative practice and enhancement of PT and OT student groups' attitudes toward older adults.