Preparing Health Professions Students for Real-World Collaborative Practice
Background
To address critical collaborative practice skills, we developed a 1-credit hour Interprofessional Collaborative Practice (IPCP) course for early health profession learners from six programs. IPCP cultivates fundamental competencies in teamwork and collaboration. Through a combination of synchronous and asynchronous modules, learners engage in interprofessional teams to achieve course objectives including understanding team and professional roles, exploring effective teamwork, providing feedback, and recognizing the impact of collaboration on healthcare outcomes. Interprofessional faculty provide constructive feedback on individual and team performance.
Methodology
Asynchronous modules involve online, team-paced work, which includes foundational content, discussion boards, and quizzes. For synchronous modules, students complete discussion boards to prepare for class-based discussions and team assignments. All modules build upon one another, allowing students to recognize the characteristics of effective interprofessional teamwork and collaboration that improve patient care. Students also complete peer and team assessments twice during the course.
Results
Summative assessments include a root cause analysis of a clinical error, and creation of a holistic, interprofessional discharge summary for a patient with complex healthcare needs. Data from the past three iterations of IPCP indicate improved knowledge and skills, particularly in teamwork and collaboration. Course evaluation data show excellent achievement of course outcomes, and elevated levels of student and facilitator satisfaction with course delivery and content.
Conclusion
IPCP is the foundation for preparing interprofessional students for clinical settings where interprofessional collaboration is essential. IPCP provides students with opportunities to learn with and from one another, sharing vocabulary and concepts for teamwork and collaborative practice. The course expects students to apply these concepts and skills to practical cases that mimic real-life patient situations, using diverse educational tools, inter- and intra-team discussions, and faculty coaching.
Reflections & Priority Criteria
Because the course serves >640 learners from six health professions programs, we’ve learned key lessons around course logistics, technology, and curricular design. To accommodate clinical conflicts and learner needs, we developed options for learners to contribute to the team products through the learning management system and Padlet. Curricular design lessons included the integration of realistic patient cases to stimulate reflection on the importance of professional contributions and faculty development to allow students to wrestle with professional identities and team roles.
This abstract presents the preparation of students for interprofessional teamwork and practical application of concepts in simulated scenarios that include social determinants of health, with comprehensive assessments and interprofessional faculty coaching to enhance students' readiness for collaborative clinical environments.