Interprofessional Student Groups Research Articles

An early-curricular team learning activity to foster integration of biochemical concepts and clinical sciences in undergraduate medical education.

The ability to connect key concepts of biochemistry with clinical presentations is essential for the development of clinical reasoning skills and adaptive expertise in medical trainees. To support the integration of foundational and clinical sciences in our undergraduate health science curricula, we developed a small group active learning exercise during which interprofessional groups of students use clinical cases to explore the biochemistry, diagnostic strategy, and evidence-based treatment options of inborn errors of metabolism (IEM). We designed multistage learning modules consisting of (1.) low-fidelity case simulations of pediatric patients presenting with IEMs, (2.) guided group discussions on clinical biochemistry, differential diagnoses, and diagnostic strategies, (3.) oral presentations of clinical reasoning strategies, and (4.) discussion of relevant evidence-based medicine topics related to the cases. These modules Scientific Knowledge Integrated in Patient Presentations (SKIPPs) were added to a first-semester foundational sciences course serving five health professions programs. The assessment of learning outcomes by students and faculty shows that SKIPPs sessions are well-received activities that significantly improve trainees' ability to integrate foundational science concepts into clinical scenarios, to practice interprofessional teamwork and to develop clinical reasoning skills.

Exploring experiential learning within interprofessional practice education initiatives for pre-licensure healthcare students: a scoping review

BackgroundInterprofessional collaborative team-based approaches to care in health service delivery has been identified as important to health care reform around the world. Many academic institutions have integrated interprofessional education (IPE) into curricula for pre-licensure students in healthcare disciplines, but few provide formal initiatives for interprofessional practice (IPP). It is recognized that experiential learning (EL) can play a significant role supporting IPP education initiatives; however, little is known of how EL is used within education for IPP in healthcare settings.MethodsWe conducted a scoping review to map peer-reviewed literature describing IPP education initiatives involving EL for pre-licensure students in healthcare disciplines. A literature search was executed in MEDLINE, CINAHL, EMBASE, ERIC, PsycINFO, Scopus, and Social Services s. After deduplication, two independent reviewers screened titles and abstracts of 5664 records and then 252 full-text articles that yielded 100 articles for data extraction. Data was extracted using an Excel template, and results synthesized for presentation in narrative and tabular formats.ResultsThe 100 included articles represented 12 countries and IPP education initiatives were described in three main typologies of literature – primary research, program descriptions, and program evaluations. Forty-three articles used a theory, framework, or model for design of their initiatives with only eight specific to EL. A variety of teaching and learning strategies were employed, such as small interprofessional groups of students, team huddles, direct provision of care, and reflective activities, but few initiatives utilized a full EL cycle. A range of perspectives and outcomes were evaluated such as student learning outcomes, including competencies associated with IPP, impacts and perceptions of the IPP initiatives, and others such as client satisfaction.ConclusionFew educational frameworks specific to EL have been used to inform EL teaching and learning strategies to consolidate IPE learning and prepare students for IPP in healthcare settings. Further development and evaluation of existing EL frameworks and models would be beneficial in supporting robust IPP educational initiatives for students in healthcare disciplines. Intentional, thoughtful, and comprehensive use of EL informed by theory can contribute important advances in IPP educational approaches and the preparation of a future health care workforce.

A MODEL FOR TEACHING STUDENTS AGE-FRIENDLY CONCEPTS USING VIRTUAL INTERPROFESSIONAL SIMULATION

Abstract Achieving effective Age-Friendly Health Systems requires teaching the future healthcare workforce how to consistently use the 4Ms framework in the care of older adults: What Matters, Medication, Mentation, and Mobility. Effective interprofessional teamwork is key to operationalizing this model. We describe here a virtual interprofessional student simulation training that demonstrates the importance of teamwork in addressing each of the 4Ms concepts and, importantly, how inattention to one ‘M’ can lead to ineffective care. Our training prepares learners with online didactic pre-work followed by a virtual simulation experience where interprofessional groups of students simulate a team care planning meeting. The case demonstrates how ‘what matters most’ to the patient (i.e., providing care for her husband who has dementia) impacts each of the other Ms. Specifically, she is taking medications inappropriately, has symptoms of depression, and will not undergo recommended surgery to correct mobility issues due to concerns about who will care for her husband. We have conducted this training with 548 undergraduate and graduate students representing medicine, nursing, pharmacy, social work, nutrition/dietetics, counseling, physical, occupational and speech therapy. 95% of students rated the simulation experience positively. There was statistically significant improvement in appreciation for teamwork (p< 0.001), evidence-based practice (p< 0.001), and inclusion of the patient and caregiver perspectives (p< 0.001) comparing pre and post simulation survey results. These results indicate a positive impact on student’s preparedness to incorporate 4Ms principles into their future practice, thus advancing both Age Friendly and Dementia Friendly Health System initiatives.

Students’ meaning-making processes in an IPE programme with students from education-, health-, and social care programmes. A qualitative study

Interprofessional collaboration (IPC) is increasingly being recognised as an important mechanism to improve the quality of services offered to children. This study imparts results from an investigation of undergraduate students’ participation in an interprofessional education (IPE) programme focusing on working with children (0–18). The programme participants include students across the disciplines of education, health, and social care. In the study the students’ accounts of group processes by which they negotiated their positions and the relevance of their emerging professional knowledge in interprofessional student groups are explored. The more overarching aim is to contribute to a knowledge base serving the development of broad IPE initiatives. Qualitative interviews were conducted with students (n = 15) to explore their experiences participating in the programme. Positioning theory was used as an analytical framework. The results indicate that the students’ joint constructions of the aim of the learning activity were vital for their joint meaning-making in the interprofessional learning (IPL) groups and for processes of positioning. In addition, students’ participation in the IPL groups was closely linked to their approach to negotiations of relevance. The pedagogical implications of these results are discussed.

Home Away from Home: How Undergraduate and Graduate Students Experience Space and Place in a new Health Sciences Building.

Buildings contribute in crucial ways to how students experience learning spaces. Four schools within a faculty (nursing, nutrition, occupational and public health, and midwifery) moved into a new Health Sciences building Fall of 2019. This new building created a unique opportunity to explore the intersection between higher education and learning space design, informed by concepts of space and place, and students' profession specific and interprofessional learning experiences in a new Health Sciences building. A qualitative descriptive design was used. All undergraduate and graduate students within the four schools were invited to participate. Focus groups were undertaken to gain a rich understanding of students' experiences and views of their space and place of learning. Data collection involved focus group data from profession specific participant users and interprofessional participant users. Inductive thematic analysis of focus group transcripts generated an initial coding scheme, key themes, and data patterns. Codes were sorted into categories and then organized into meaningful clusters. A building planning development project document relating to the vision, intentions, design, and planning for the new building provided content from which to view the study findings. The study data contributed to the conversation about space and place and its influence on higher learning within specific intraprofessional and interprofessional student groups and provided insight into the process of actualizing a vision for a new learning space and the resultant experiences and perceptions of students within that space/place.

What keeps the flame burning? A qualitative study on tutor motivation to guide students in interprofessional education

Background and purposeIt remains challenging to implement and sustain Interprofessional Training Units (ITUs) for equipping health professional students with competencies that are essential for providing collaborative patient-centered care. In this qualitative study, we aimed to identify types of motivation of IPE tutors, the factors that influence their motivation and how these factors can be used to facilitate implementation and sustenance of ITUs. MethodsWe interviewed twelve midwifery and nursing tutors of an ITU on a maternity ward regarding their motivation for their role as tutors. Content analysis was performed on the data. ResultsIPE tutors had various types of motivation for guiding interprofessional groups of healthcare students. Key factors influencing their motivation included appreciation for their role, perceived effectiveness of their guidance, learning from others, and a balance between their roles as health care professional (HCP) and tutor. Discussion and conclusionHCPs serving as IPE tutors can be moved from controlled to autonomous motivation through enhancement of their feelings of autonomy, competence and relatedness, by providing tutors with operational support and professional development opportunities. Being a tutor also seems to foster the HCPs' professional identity. Further research is required to determine how tutors’ professional, interprofessional and tutor identities influence IPE outcomes for all stakeholders.

Development of a pilot interprofessional education workshop for healthcare students and assessment of interprofessional collaborative competency attainment

ABSTRACT We describe the development and student evaluation of a collaborative health service provider and higher education institution initiative designed to deliver an Interprofessional Education (IPE) pilot workshop program for healthcare students. The aim was to investigate whether an IPE workshop would result in improved student confidence in self-reported interprofessional competencies using the Interprofessional Collaborative Competency Attainment Scale (ICCAS) tool. The workshops involved interprofessional student groups working on a patient case followed by a facilitator-led discussion and patient representative interaction. There were three different voluntary, extra-curricular workshops. A total of 99 students registered, from 3rd to 5th year undergraduate and 2nd year graduate entry healthcare programs at a single Irish university in February 2022. Ninety-three post-workshop survey responses showed statistically significant improvements in the ICCAS subscales of Communication, Collaboration, Roles and Responsibilities, Collaborative Patient/Family-Centered Approach, and Team Functioning; Conflict Management showed less change. Students reported positively on the benefit of the patient representative, the workshop format, and the opportunity to collaborate with students from other professions. Our findings indicate that this was a beneficial and effective way to deliver IPE across a range of healthcare professions that led to improvements in self-reported interprofessional competencies.

Relational experiences of community members participating in a rural health initiative with interprofessional students

Background. A South African faculty of health sciences created a forum for the community to voice their relational experiences with interprofessional students through visual projections. No other studies that explore such experiences using the Mmogo method could be located.
 Objective. To gain an understanding of the relational experiences of community members participating in Lifestyle-groups as part of a rural health initiative with interprofessional student groups.
 Methods. The Mmogo method is a qualitative, structured, observation technique. Participants constructed visual projections representing specific relationships. Thereafter, during a group discussion, participants explained the meaning of their projections. The visual data were analysed according to their literal presentation and subjective, symbolic meaning. A thematic analysis was used for the transcribed data.
 Results. Thirteen of the 24 visual projections were of a quality that allowed visual analysis; all 24 members participated in the discussions. Light was identified as an overarching theme to represent the community-student interaction. Sub-themes and categories associated with light were healthier lifestyles (knowledge sharing, lifestyle transformation, improved health outcomes), solidarity (reciprocity, collaboration, person centredness, multidimensional approach) and affirmation (gratitude and acceptance).
 Conclusion. Though some statements by participants related to health education as opposed to health dialogue highlighted areas requiring improvement, the findings correlated with the outcomes prescribed for students by this rural health initiative. Emotional connections in relational experiences could facilitate higher levels of self-efficacy in communities. The question is whether a stronger emphasis on health dialogue can be a catalyst for improved self-efficacy.

Encountering uncertainty and complexity in decision-making: an observational study of clinical reasoning among medical and interprofessional groups of health care students

ABSTRACT Poor teamwork and clinical decisions have a major impact on patient outcomes and safety. Clinical decision-making rarely occurs under ideal conditions, but complex health care environments make this particularly challenging for new graduate health professionals as beginner practitioners. Recent evidence indicates that effective collaboration also enhances quality of clinical decisions for patients with complex needs. However, collaborative decision-making is not standard in educational curricula, where clinical decision-making is usually taught in profession-specific courses emphasizing individual rationality and cognition. The aim of this study was to gain detailed insights into the practice of clinical decision-making by small groups of medical and other health care students. A qualitative observational study design was used. Students (n = 45) took part in a short role-play of a hospital clinical ethics committee meeting discussing three complex patient cases, considering clinical and ethical aspects of care, and made a group decision about priorities for treatment. Audio-recorded data were transcribed verbatim and inductively analyzed based on Strauss’s “Theoretical Coding” approach. Coding and interpretation of transcripts resulted in three key themes: a) values/beliefs as a basis for negotiation; b) encountering obstacles; c) overcoming obstacles. All groups benefited from shared knowledge, assisting each other in dealing with uncertainty and perceived emotional burden. In small groups, they were able to overcome challenges and fulfil a goal potentially beyond many of them as individuals. Provision of learning opportunities where students learn to share expertise and decision-making responsibilities has the potential to optimize their learning in preparation for challenges in future practice.

How Do Students Enact Group Reasoning Within Online Interprofessional Education?

Background: The capability of an interprofessional healthcare team to reach a shared understanding through group reasoning is critical to good healthcare delivery. Models for clinical reasoning have proved useful but remain focused on individual cognitive processes. Whilst interprofessional education has steadily gained real-world traction, it is unclear how interprofessional student groups practice group reasoning when performing online tasks. Method: We analyzed the group reasoning processes with two teams of health professional students in an online interprofessional education task (n = 13). Two simulated interprofessional team meetings about a palliative case were audio recorded, transcribed, and deductively analyzed to determine the mechanisms of team deliberation using a previously published study of group reasoning.Results: The reasoning mechanisms outlined in a previous study (informationaccumulating, sense-making, and decision-making) were evident in an analysis of student group reasoning. In particular, students focused on sharing and agreeing on information, and to a lesser extent, recording information. Conclusion: Attention to the mechanisms of action may be useful to facilitate teaching interprofessional reasoning. Group reasoning may benefit from focusing student attention on these stages: 1) prioritizing and sequencing of options, methods for exposing agreement about shared information, shared understanding of the situation, and options; 2) techniques for critically evaluating information so that opportunities arise to identify when information may disrupt existing understandings; and 3) development of documentation tools to assist recording of the process.

Biomedical students’ course preference and links with quality of life and psychological distress

Introduction: This study investigates psychological distress and quality of life (QoL) amongst first year premedical and health science students. The primary aim of this study was to investigate potential differences in QoL and psychological distress between students who sought entry into a medicine programme when compared to those opting for a non-medicine career. Methods: We examined participant responses to measures of QoL, psychological distress, and course preference (medicine or other). A structural equation model was conducted to consider the interrelationships among future course preference, gender, QoL, depression, anxiety and stress. Results: Three hundred and sixty-five students completed the online survey. An a priori conceptual model was developed and then evaluated using a structural equation model. The values obtained for RMSEA (0.027), CFI (0.999), and SRMR (0.016) indicated an excellent model fit. The overall model fit statistic, chi-square (χ2 = 7.626, df=6, p= .267), confirmed a good model fit. Students aiming to enrol in medicine generated higher psychological health and environmental QoL scores compared to their non-medicine oriented peers. In addition, physical QoL and psychological health QoL scores significantly predicted psychological distress measures. Conclusion: The study raises a potential debate regarding placing students with mixed career intentions into the same course and the potential implications this may have on teaching in interprofessional and large student groups in relation to wellbeing, pedagogy, equity, and expenditure. The findings clearly indicated that medical students are not as adversely impacted upon in terms of QoL and psychological distress compared with their non-medical peers.

Evaluation of a collaborator objective structured clinical examination (COSCE) in postgraduate medical education

Background: Effective intra- and interprofessional collaboration abilities are necessary for safe and effective medical care, however such roles are often informally taught in postgraduate medical education with lack of opportunity for practice and feedback. The Objective Structured Clinical Encounter (OSCE) is a common approach in medical education. Adaptations of the OSCE have been found useful in the assessment of collaborator competencies amongst interprofessional student groups and assessment of intrinsic roles, like collaboration.Objective: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a Collaborator Objective Structured Clinical Encounter (COSCE) as a method of formative assessment on collaborator competencies for postgraduate trainees. Methods: This study involved a one group, pretest-posttest evaluation conducted in 2018. PGY1 residents completed a Team Skills Scale immediately before and after COSCE participation, completed an evaluation survey to report satisfaction, and were assessed by facilitators and peer assessors using a COSCE rubric.Results: Residents reported significant improvement in their pre (N=35) to post-team skills (N=37) scores and an overall positive level of satisfaction with the COSCE experience (N=37/39, 94.9% response rate). Transfer of care skills (e.g., handover) demonstrated the lowest performance scores across all COSCE stations. Peer assessor (N = 204) and facilitator scores (N = 47) also indicated a moderate level of interrelatedness. Conclusion: A COSCE is a feasible method of formative assessment, fostering reflection and learning, and providing feedback on collaborator skills early in postgraduate medical education. Peer assessment may also hold promise as a formative assessment method on intra- and interprofessional collaboration.

Interprofessional student groups using patient documentation to facilitate interprofessional collaboration in clinical practice – A field study

BackgroundThis article explores and provides insights into how students learn interprofessional collaboration in a clinical placement. This topic is of interest for stakeholders in health services and education and for the research field of interprofessional education. ObjectivesHow patient documentation facilitates collaboration in interprofessional student groups is explored. DesignThis study uses qualitative research with an ethnographic design. SettingsThis research studies interprofessional education at a Norwegian university. ParticipantsThree student groups that participated in a two-week interprofessional clinical placement in a geriatric rehabilitation ward were studied, which comprised students of medicine, nursing, occupational therapy and physiotherapy. MethodsData were generated through observational studies and informal conversations with the students in interprofessional placement and consists of written field notes and transcribed audio-recorded conversations. The analysis drew on concepts from practice theory related to the social practices of learning. ResultsThe students creatively and dynamically used a narrative note in the electronic patient record system in the ward to create an overview of care and ensure continuity of care for the patients for whom they were responsible. By using the narrative note in the record, the students aimed to develop a comprehensive understanding of their patients' clinical situations and care needs. When new information was entered in the note, information already written by individual students and student pairs was reviewed by all students, revised and mutually refined. As a result, multidimensional representations of the patients' health statuses and care needs emerged, including how the patients responded to the students' suggested interventions. ConclusionsPatient documentation can be a tool for stimulating interprofessional collaboration when students are allowed to organize patient care independently. We suggest that students' natural meaning-seeking capability is a hidden resource that can be exploited in interprofessional education.

Learning environments for interprofessional education: A micro-ethnography of sociomaterial assemblages in team-based learning

BackgroundTeamwork and collaboration are central to interprofessional education but fostering these attributes in large undergraduate cohorts is challenging. ObjectivesThis study aimed to examine the complexities of IPE group learning processes by examining how the material and intersubjective intertwine when newly formed interprofessional groups (Chinese medicine, medicine, nursing, pharmacy, and social work) synchronously engaged with face-to-face and online learning in a blended, team-based learning environment. MethodsIt was a micro-ethnography study using a sociomaterial theoretical lens. We selected two undergraduate interprofessional healthcare student groups within a large scale programme for contrastive video analysis of synchronous spatial and physical configurations, associated talk, and online activity. ResultsVideo analysis of evolving physical configurations indicated that Group B was spatially more evenly grouped, and physically orientated to an identifiable leader, despite their blinded peer evaluations indicating distributed leadership. Group A faced a critical event at a public forum leading to spatial disruption breaking into subgroups and isolates; however, this group identified one member as a defined leader in the peer evaluations. ConclusionsBased on online scores, we found that peer identification of leaders may influence learning processes but not learning outcomes in the first IPE team meeting. The design of the physical and virtual learning environments contributed to the developing, sociomaterial processes of group cohesion in interprofessional team-based learning.

Getting outside the box: exploring role fluidity in interprofessional student groups through the lens of activity theory.

Health professionals' roles and scopes often overlap, creating a need for role clarity in interprofessional teamwork. Yet, such clarity does not mean roles are fixed within teams and some literature suggests role flexibility can enhance team functioning. Interprofessional practice competencies and learning activities often emphasize knowledge and definition of roles, but rarely attend to the dynamic nature of roles and influential contextual factors. This study explores role fluidity in interprofessional student groups using an activity theory framework. Using a collective instrumental case study approach, the authors examine the fluidity of one physical therapy (PT) student's role within 3 different interprofessional (medical, pharmacy, PT) student groups completing nursing home patient care plans. Field notes, group debriefing interviews, and care plans were collected and coded from all care planning sessions. Codes mapped to group-specific activity systems that compared role-influencing interactions and tensions. The PT student's role fluidity varied in each group's activity system, influenced primarily by system tensions from implicit rules (e.g., encouraging questions), division of labor (e.g., rigid profession-based task assignment), and tool use (e.g., computers). Attention to modifiable system elements, such as tool use and explicit rules of inclusivity, could foster role fluidity and improve interprofessional teamwork and learning environments.

Preparedness of health professions students for interprofessional collaboration: a mixed method study

ABSTRACT Interprofessional collaboration (IPC) improves communication between healthcare workers and healthcare delivery. This study aimed to explore the reflections of final year health professions students on their preparedness for IPC. Participants were 183 fourth-year nursing, occupational therapy (OT), and physical therapy (PT) students. Data were collected using the Interdisciplinary Education Perception Scale, three open-ended questions, and one question assessing students’ experience with the problem-based learning (PBL) method. The findings reveal that only OT students experienced the PBL method and they were more positive than others regarding competence, readiness, and willingness to cooperate with other health professions. Most students valued the preparation they had received and referred to: structure and content of the curriculum, informal aspects of the curriculum, and aspects of clinical practice. Approaches involving interprofessional groups of students working together in tutorial situations were classified as most contributing to IPC and integration into the multidisciplinary team in clinical practice.

Attitude adjustments after global health inter-professional student team experiences.

How medical inter-professional (IP) education should be introduced to students is still a matter of research. We evaluated IP student attitudes before and after a busy “hands-on” clinical experience.During 3 separate trips, first/second year medical and physician assistant students and third/fourth year nursing students traveled to Central America to work together for 1 week in an underserved clinical setting. Student opinions on inter-professional education were obtained before and after Brigade-1 using the Readiness for Inter-professional Learning Scale validated questionnaire. From these results, a modified version of the survey was developed that included quantitative and qualitative responses. For brigades-2 and -3, students received this modified version of the survey pre and post brigade. Quantitative data was analyzed via paired student t test, and qualitative data was analyzed to identify emerging themes using constant comparative methodology by three separate investigators.No significant quantitative differences between IP student groups were observed in their evaluation of the importance of inter-professional education either before or after the brigades. Qualitative data noted pre-brigade expectations of positive IP, experiential and patient-centered cultural learning. Pre- and post-brigade student perspectives maintained a strong belief that high functioning IP care benefited the patient. Post-brigade perspectives revealed a shift in attitude from purely positive expectations to more practical aspects of teamwork, respect, and interpersonal relationships.Students believe that patient care benefits from IP collaboration. After a busy clinical experience requiring collaboration, students realized that functional teams require appropriate skills, roles, and respectful interpersonal relationships.

Design and Implementation of the Health Professions Simulation Assessment, a Tool to Assess Students' Perceptions of Simulation Experiences

Background: Simulation is an important educational method in the health professions. While several academic programs have shared simulation quality assessment tools that are intended to be used in a particular discipline, a valid and reliable assessment that can be used by a variety of entry-level health professions education programs is lacking. In order to improve and refine interprofessional simulation programs, a tool that is acceptable to the multiple professions that participate in interprofessional simulation education is needed. The purpose of this study was to design and analyze an evidence-based quality assessment tool that could capture students' perceptions of simulation experiences and could be used by multiple health professions. Subjects: The study included 329 students from different health professions majors who participated as part of their required coursework. Methods: An evidence-based Health Professions Simulation Assessment (HPSA) was created in 2016, pilot tested in 2017, and then disseminated to a larger cohort in 2018. The results of the second dissemination were analyzed using R software to understand the validity and utility of the tool. Results: The response rate for each question was more than 90% and the mean rate of agreement was 79.0% (±8.9%). We observed a high correlation among all pairs of questions (mean 0.51, SD 0.19). In addition, we performed hierarchical clustering and identified 4 clusters of questions that were highly correlated (preparation for experience, self-reflection/emotions, debriefing, and fidelity). Conclusion: An evidence-based tool was created that could be used in a variety of health professions programs to evaluate students' perceptions of the quality of a simulation. This easily administered tool demonstrated satisfactory agreement; the data gathered through its use may be used to improve the quality of simulations in entry-level health professions education programs. This tool was found to be acceptable to multiple professions and could be used in interprofessional student groups to obtain a shared assessment of a simulation. Further research is warranted to determine validity among interprofessional groups of students.

Introduction and evaluation of an interprofessional undergraduate simulation program in obstetrics and gynaecology - getting started and lessons learned

Objective: Interprofessional education (IPE) occurs when two or more professions learn about, from and with each other to improve the quality of care. In Canada, the increasing need for IPE has been acknowledged on a national level.The objective of this project was to assess the implementation and evaluation of an interprofessional simulation curriculum in Obstetrics and Gynaecology (Ob/ Gyn) clerkship. Methods: Three obstetrical emergency simulations were presented to small interprofessional groups of undergraduate students (103): medicine (80), nursing (14), respiratory therapy (1), and paramedicine (8) between September 9, 2016 to August 8, 2017. A paper-based evaluation form was completed by all students.The purpose was to use this evaluation form to conduct a quality assurance review following the completion of the first year of this new interprofessional simulation program. Results: Ninety-nine percent of students indicated the session would benefit their clinical performance; 97.1% found the debriefing exercise helpful; 93% indicated the session was appropriate to their level of training; 98.1% felt it provided valuable team skills training; 92.2% indicated it helped them understand the roles of other health professionals; 96.1% indicated it helped improve collaborative leadership; and 87.1% noted a better understanding of the unique skillset of other health professionals.All students felt they were in a safe learning environment. Conclusion:To our knowledge, this is the first simulation program in Ob/Gyn clerkship in Canada designed to promote IPE amongst the four learner groups described above. Interprofessional simulation in Ob/Gyn Clerkship is valuable and well received by students from all health professional programs involved. It improves communication, role clarification, and collaboration.

The interprofessional dedicated education unit: Design, implementation and evaluation of an innovative model for fostering interprofessional collaborative practice

Abstract Clinically-based interprofessional education offers students an opportunity to witness and experience how interprofessional competencies are translated into practice. In 2011, Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and the MGH Institute of Health Professions (IHP) established the first interprofessional dedicated education unit (IPDEU) in the United States, adapting the dedicated education unit model used in nurse education. On the IPDEU, interprofessional groups of IHP students spent a half-day per week across a semester working on both clinical and interprofessional competencies under the guidance of IPDEU staff nurses and therapists who served as clinical instructors. Though student evaluations were consistently favorable, the program strained resources while being able to accommodate only a limited number of students. After three years, MGH and IHP charged a steering committee with re-envisioning a cost-effective instructional model of IPE in acute care, capable of supporting more students. This redesigned experience, introduced in 2015 and continuing today, provides students with a facilitated observational experience focused exclusively on competencies for interprofessional collaborative practice. Scheduled in interprofessional dyads, students spend one half-day on an IPDEU with a nurse interprofessional practice instructor (IPI) and a second half-day with an IPI from speech-language pathology, physical therapy, or occupational therapy. Instructors use active observation techniques to help students recognize interprofessional collaboration and its underlying competencies as they encounter it during their typical care-delivery day, with each session ending in a group debriefing. In evaluations, students indicate that the experience reinforces interprofessional competencies, highlighting the importance of the IPI role and debriefings. In this article, we describe the IPDEU's evolution, share results, offer evidence of the model's scalability and sustainability, and discuss factors contributing to its success in overcoming barriers to clinically-based IPE.