Interprofessional Practice Education for Health Professional Students

Interprofessional Practice Education for Health Professional Students in Rural Communities

The interprofessional practice & education curriculum for the students to be employed in this study will include five modalities in a scaffolded structure progressing from low- to high-fidelity experiences over a two-year period: (1) classroom didactic sessions; (2) simulation laboratory sessions; (3) standardized patient sessions; (4) community-based clinical case conferences; and, (5) community-based interprofessional rotations. Clinicians will experience many of the same learning experiences as the students, but will differ in the level of education and its focus. Clinicians and faculty will be taught the concepts of interprofessional practice & education, the same as the students, but they will also be taught how to educate students using interprofessional practice & education.

The purpose of this prospective cohort study, which will utilize anonymous data, is to describe the impact of the interprofessional practice & education project in four categories:

1. Change in student knowledge, skill, and attitudes regarding interprofessional practice & education.
2. Student selection and entrance into primary care in rural settings and/or with underserved populations.
3. Patient and family members' perceptions of interprofessional practice & education encounters.
4. Clinicians' experiences with interprofessional practice & education and perceptions of it.

Research Questions:

1. How do students' knowledge, skill, and attitudes change regarding interprofessional practice & education as measured by pre/post electronic surveys?
2. What is the difference in the rate of entrance of graduates into primary care disciplines, settings that serve rural patients, and settings that serve underserved patients?
3. What are patients' and their families' perceptions of interprofessional practice & education encounters as measured by anonymous paper surveys.
4. What prior experiences and education do clinicians have with interprofessional practice & education?
5. How do clinicians' knowledge, skill, and attitudes change regarding interprofessional practice & education as measured by pre/post electronic surveys?

Inclusion Criteria:

Students:

• Doctor of osteopathic medical students at Pacific Northwest University of Health Sciences
• Physician Assistant students at Heritage University
• Participants must also be over the legal age of consent

Clinicians (Preceptors):

• Affiliated Preceptors of Doctor of osteopathic medical students at Pacific Northwest University of Health Sciences
• Affiliated Preceptors of Physician Assistant students at Heritage University
• Participants must also be over the legal age of consent
• Interested in participating in this study by choosing whether they will complete the surveys.
• The five sites where this project will occur are already engaged in clinical case conferences and clinical rotations.

Patients:

• Patients included in this study must have a minimum of two conditions/diagnoses identified, such as diabetes, hypertension and coronary artery disease.
• These conditions could also include mental diagnoses, socioeconomic group, or other social determinants of health.
• Participants must also be over the legal age of consent.

Faculty:

• Faculty of the Doctor of osteopathic medical students at Pacific Northwest University of Health Sciences teaching specific concepts of Interprofessional Practice
• Faculty of the Physician Assistant students at Heritage University teaching specific concepts of Interprofessional Practice
• Participants must also be over the legal age of consent

Exclusion Criteria:

• Not enrolled as a student at Pacific Northwest University of Health Sciences Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine or Heritage University Physician Assistant Program
• Not an affiliated and approved clinical site of Pacific Northwest University of Health Sciences Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine or Heritage University Physician Assistant Program
• Patients unable to read or understand English at a 6th grade level