Multiple Interprofessional Education Activities Delivered Longitudinally Within a Required Clinical Assessment Course

Abstract

To determine if the incorporation of multiple interprofessional educational (IPE) activities delivered as a longitudinal curriculum within a required clinical assessment course changed pharmacy students' perceptions regarding interprofessional collaboration. Seventy-one third-year pharmacy students participated in Clinical Assessment, a required applications-based course with a laboratory component. Nine separate IPE activities were embedded into the course longitudinally over the semester using various active-learning strategies and simulated patients. The IPE activities required student participation from medical, nursing, and physician assistant students. Pharmacy students completed an 18-item validated survey instrument, the Interdisciplinary Education Perception Scale (IEPS), on the first (pre-survey) and last (post-survey) day of the course. After completing the course, scores improved on 16 of 18 survey items that measured pharmacy students' perceptions of interprofessional collaboration. Incorporating multiple IPE activities longitudinally into a required clinical assessment course significantly changed pharmacy students' perceptions of interprofessional collaboration.