No abstract

The interprofessional clinical experience (ICE) was designed to introduce trainees to the roles of different healthcare professionals, provide an opportunity to participate in an interprofessional team, and familiarize trainees with caring for older adults in the nursing home setting. Healthcare trainees from seven professions (dentistry, medicine, nursing, nutrition, occupational therapy, optometry and social work) participated in ICE. This program consisted of individual patient interviews followed by a team meeting to develop a comprehensive care plan. To evaluate the impact of ICE on attitudinal change, the UCLA Geriatric Attitudes Scale and a post-experience assessment were used. The post-experience assessment evaluated the trainees' perception of potential team members' roles and attitudes about interprofessional team care of the older adult. Attitudes toward interprofessional teamwork and the older adult were generally positive. ICE is a novel program that allows trainees across healthcare professions to experience interprofessional teamwork in the nursing home setting.

Successful interprofessional teams are essential when caring for older adults with multiple complex medical conditions that require ongoing management from a variety of disciplines across healthcare settings. To successfully integrate interprofessional education into the healthcare professions curriculum, the most effective learning experiences should utilize adult learning principles, reflect real-life practice, and allow for interaction among trainees representing a variety of health professions. Interprofessional clinical experiences are essential to prepare future healthcare professionals to provide quality patient care and understand the best methods for utilizing members of the healthcare team to provide that care. To meet this need, the University of Alabama at Birmingham Geriatric Education Center has developed an Interprofessional Clinical Experience (ICE) to expose future healthcare providers to an applied training experience with older adults in the nursing home setting. This paper outlines how this program was developed, methods used for program evaluation, and how the outcome data influenced program revisions.

We developed a musculoskeletal education intervention for internal medicine residents consisting of lectures, anatomic models, and a joint injection clinic. Written tests, observed musculoskeletal exams, and self-confidence scales were administered to 27 internal medicine residents before and after the intervention. Improvement was found in observed physical exam and self-reported confidence levels in performing knee injections. Confidence in shoulder injection skills improved, but remained low. Improved scores on written examination, though statistically significant, were not educationally significant. This single-institution pilot study demonstrates that a simple educational program results in improved knee and shoulder examination skills and confidence in performing knee injections.