Purpose: The purpose of this initiative was to develop and implement an interprofessional panel aimed to expose a university audience to the magnitude of opioid misuse and abuse, as well as demonstrate each health professional’s role in curbing the epidemic. Further, this experience was to provide a platform for interprofessional discussion and to share with attendees tangible action items to begin combatting the opioid epidemic. Methods: An interdisciplinary committee of healthcare professionals collaborated to initiate a dialogue around opioid misuse and abuse to highlight the power of interprofessional (IP) collaboration in addressing the opioid epidemic. Each panel member shared a personal vignette about his or her professional experience with the epidemic, then the audience members were asked to participate in a question and answer session. Primary outcomes from this IP experience were derived from an eight-item satisfaction survey. The event was held in April 2016. The interdisciplinary committee marketed this event to all students, faculty, and staff in the Rueckert-Hartman College of Health Care Professionals one month before the event through electronic emails and posters. Results: Forty-four (63%) of participants completed the satisfaction survey of which 88.6% were students of healthcare professions. The satisfaction survey evaluative results were positive and referenced the panel as being an excellent IP event that was helpful, informative, and enjoyable. The results support that the initiative successfully increased understanding of the magnitude of the opioid epidemic for the attendees of this pilot event. The target audience of students expressed a greater awareness of the magnitude of the problem (43.2%) and an increased appreciation of the IP aspects of opioid management strategies (36.4%). Attendees also identified the need for ownership of their role as existing and future health care professionals and the need to work as an IP team to address the problem. Conclusion: An interprofessional panel format as an optional extracurricular event is an effective way to communicate key educational messages about opioid misuse and abuse to a target audience of graduate students at a mid-sized college of health professions.
Purpose: The most common approach to physical therapy clinical education is the one-to-one (1:1) model. The collaborative clinical education model (CCEM) offers an alternative and beneficial approach to education but is not widely utilized within physical therapy. The primary aim of this study was to explore the experiences and perceptions of clinical instructors (CIs) teaching within the CCEM while also receiving structured support from an academic program. Methods: This study used semi-structured interviews before and after the CCEM experience to explore CI perceptions. CIs received formalized support that included pre-experience meetings, a CCEM Toolkit resource, scheduled follow-ups during the experience, and a post-clinical debriefing. Interview transcripts were analyzed using a qualitative data analysis program and collaborative coding process. Results: CIs’ perceptions of the CCEM shifted following participation. Participants noted a need to be prepared with appropriate teaching strategies, have frequent communication with the academic program, and have a supportive clinical environment. Conclusion: CI participation in the CCEM is challenged by negative perceptions and lack of experience with collaborative learning. CI perceptions of the CCEM can become more positive after actually teaching in the CCEM; therefore, perceived challenges need to be addressed to increase CI participation. The CCEM may be more widely accepted if CIs’ perceived challenges are addressed in partnership with an academic program with intentional CCEM training and support strategies.
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