Abstract
Interprofessional education and practice (IPE/IPP) are important components for undergraduate and graduate students to experience during their programs of study in speech-language pathology and related health professions. The American Speech-Language Hearing Association (ASHA) is a member organization of the Interprofessional Education Collaborative (IPEC) which promotes four core competencies required for effective practice: values/ethics, roles/responsibilities, interprofessional communication, and teams and teamwork. The purpose of this study was to gather the lived experiences from eight pre-professional students, four from speech-language pathology (SLP) and four from recreational therapy(RT), during focus groups and discussion forums conducted before, during, and after a 14-week IPE/IPP clinical experience. Students shared perspectives about providing collaborative therapy services as part of a team supporting adults with stroke or other acquired neurological conditions. Thematic analysis conducted from pre and post focus group transcripts revealed six primary themes: roles and responsibilities; interprofessional communication; collaborative teamwork; values and mutual respect; challenges to IPE/IPP; and benefits & impact of IPE/IPP. Students shared their clinical experiences engaging with students from SLP and RT, but also working with students from physical and occupational therapy. The qualitative data from this study provides important information to assist future students, educators, and clinical supervisors how to effectively access and engage in IPE/IPP learning experiences with a specific focus in the areas of teamwork, leadership, and conflict resolution.
Highlights
This research will provide faculty, clinical educators, and students with a better understanding of the unique collaboration between the disciplines of speech-language pathology (SLP) and recreation therapy (RT) during an interprofessional clinical experience
SLP and RT students provided examples based on specific question prompts provided by the principal investigator
The responses below are from the online forums and provide additional examples from the SLP and RT student perspective
Summary
This research will provide faculty, clinical educators, and students with a better understanding of the unique collaboration between the disciplines of speech-language pathology (SLP) and recreation therapy (RT) during an interprofessional clinical experience. Students in the health professions may encounter interprofessional education and practice (IPE/IPP) in a variety of ways across classroom, community, and clinical settings. According to the World Health Organization (2010), interprofessional education and practice (IPE/IPP) is a method of education that involves interactive learning opportunities for professionals and pre-professional students to engage and learn from, with, and about one another. Brown et al (2018) discusses the importance of providing interprofessional learning experiences for students so they can be prepared to effectively engage with a diverse range of professionals while having a better understanding of the benefits and challenges of interprofessional practice. The World Health Organization (2010) promotes the need for collaborative training opportunities in higher education since pre-professional students will eventually engage with a wide range of interprofessional teams across community, educational, and health care settings
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