Description and assessment of a pilot interprofessional education case competition activity

Abstract

Background and purposeA case competition involving pharmacy and nursing students was designed as a pilot project to determine if this would be an effective way to implement interprofessional education (IPE) within the College of Health and Pharmaceutical Sciences at the University of Louisiana at Monroe. Educational activity and settingLevel 5 nursing students and third-year pharmacy students were invited to participate in a patient case competition activity as interprofessional teams. A modified version of the Interprofessional Education Collaborative (IPEC) Competency Survey and the Readiness for Interprofessional Learning Scale (RIPLS) Questionnaire were administered before and after the activity. Findings and discussionNineteen students (nine nursing, 10 pharmacy) participated in the case competition and completed both the pre- and post-survey. Responses to questions in the IPEC Competency Self-Assessment Tool suggest improved self-reported competence in the interaction and values/ethics domains. SummaryParticipation in this IPE case competition demonstrated improved engagement with other healthcare professional students as assessed by the IPEC Competency Survey and the RIPLS Questionnaire. This activity could serve as a way for other schools of pharmacy to implement IPE in their curriculum.