Background: The role of peer teachers in interprofessional education has not been extensively studied. This study is designed to determine if peer-teacher-led problem-based seminars can influence medical and pharmacy students' perceptions of interprofessional education. Methods: Undergraduate medical and pharmacy students participated in one-hour problem-based learning seminars held over the course of 16 weeks. A caseÁcontrol study design was used to compare perceptions of interprofessional education between students who participated in seminars and students who did not participate in seminars. The validated Interdisciplinary Education Perception Scale (IEPS) was used to assess perceptions of interprofessional education and was distributed to medical and pharmacy students at the conclusion of 16 weeks of seminars. A two-tailed t-test was used to determine significance between groups. A survey was also distributed to all students regarding perceived barriers to involvement in interprofessional education training. Results: In total, 97 students responded to IEPS (62 medical, 35 pharmacy). Data showed significantly higher perception of professional cooperation among medical students (p 00.006) and pharmacy students (p 00.02) who attended interprofessional seminars compared to those who did not attend. One hundred and nine students responded to the survey regarding perceived barriers to interprofessional education, with the two most common barriers being: 'I am not aware of interprofessional education opportunities' (61.5%) and 'I do not have time to participate' (52.3%). Conclusion: Based on this data we believe peer-teacher-led problem-based interprofessional seminars can be used to increase medical and pharmacy students' perceived need for professional cooperation. Currently, major barriers to interprofessional education involvement are awareness and time commitment. Undergraduate health professions education can incorporate student-led seminars to improve interprofessional education.

Medical education in the US has adapted to the shift of patient care from hospital to ambulatory settings by developing educational opportunities in outpatient settings. Faculty development efforts must acknowledge learners' perspectives to be effective in improving teaching and learning. Clinics provide important and unique learning opportunities, but also present different challenges for preceptors (i.e., physician teachers) and learners. Multiple studies have identified characteristics of effective preceptors of ambulatory care medicine. However, most of these studies were conducted among residents or students with clinical experience. To investigate preclinical, second-year medical students' perceptions of preceptor quality, we conducted an exploratory qualitative study using analysis of student learning journals. The purposive sample included 120 medical students in a private, Midwestern medical school in the United States. Learning journals of 110 students for two semesters were reviewed. Five attributes of an effective preceptor emerged: (1) Demonstrates professional expertise (2) Actively engages students in learning (3) Creates a positive environment for teaching and learning (4) Demonstrates collegiality and professionalism (5) Discusses career-related topics and concerns. Our findings suggest preclinical learners often begin initial clinical experiences with sophisticated definitions of professional expertise, and hold specific expectations for professionalism. These are based on previous coursework and personal experience. These expectations influence their perceptions of effective preceptors and learning experiences. Early clinical experiences can also influence perceptions about career and specialty choice. Improving our understanding of preclinical learners' perceptions of preceptor quality will improve the efficacy of faculty development efforts and learning experiences.

The Core Competencies for Collaborative Practice identify the skills needed by every health care provider to be successful in implementing interprofessional practice. Health professions students need to build skills for interprofessional practice as emerging professionals. Reflection is a core skill needed for successful interprofessional practices. This study identifies themes from an interprofessional education research project and discusses their congruency with the Competencies.

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Interprofessional education (IPE) is now recognized as an important initiative to prepare the next generation of health providers. Although IPE has been embraced by many institutions, faculty development still remains an issue. In this manuscript, the authors share their story of one attempt to educate a variety of health science faculty on IPE in what was perceived as an approachable venue. The story of its epic failure and lessons learned will be shared to help others avoid similar pitfalls.

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Context and SettingTeaching and assessing physical diagnosis skills are core activities of undergraduate medical education, but some contend that time constraints and sophisticated advances in diagnostic technology have displaced interest in teaching and using these skills. Studies continue to show that many physicians are unfamiliar with current evidence about test characteristics of physical findings and techniques, and this limits teaching and assessment of skills. However, the number of calls to improve clinical skills education increases. Why We Undertook This InitiativeOur medical school recently completed a comprehensive review of clinical skills education, resulting in curricular change and new faculty development needs. We developed this halfday continuing medical education course to promote an evidence-based approach to teaching and assessing physical diagnosis skills. What We DidThis interactive course reviewed the evidence for key physical diagnosis areas: cardiovascular, abdominal and male GU, ophthalmologic, and musculoskeletal. The course objectives emphasized evaluation of techniques and findings for diagnostic utility; knowledge of evidence for the diagnostic accuracy of physical findings; and strategies for teaching and assessing physical diagnosis skills.The course began with a review of key evidence-based practice concepts~eg, specificity!, followed by the physical diagnosis sessions~eg, cardiovascular exam!. Each session included a skills demonstration, review of the evidence for diagnostic accuracy of physical findings, and strategies to effectively teach and assess the exam skills. All sessions offered opportunities for hands-on practice in a low-stress, collegial environment. The course featured a separate session on methods for teaching psychomotor skills.This experience also promoted educational scholarship by providing a forum for faculty and residents to discuss and reflect on their teaching practice. In addition, participants received a copy of the textbook used by faculty in our school's Interviewing and Physical Exam course. What We LearnedTo assess the program, we developed a course evaluation and pre-and postcourse learning assessments, which were administered at the beginning of the course and 6 weeks after, respectively. The response rate was 75%~9012!. Participants self-reported increased levels of knowledge regarding the diagnostic accuracy for all of the examinations addressed in the course. Paired t-tests were employed and statistically significant differences were detected for improved level of knowledge regarding the diagnostic accuracy of the congestive heart failure examination and musculoskeletal examination of the back. Participants also reported increased confidence in teaching all of the examinations addressed in the course. Statistically significant changes were detected for confidence in teaching the musculoskeletal examination of the back, fundoscopic examination of the eye, and male GU examination. Participants reported they felt the course increased their knowle...