As literature indicates, historic racism and implicit bias throughout academia have been profound metrics leading to a lack of diversity, as related to people from underrepresented groups according to race and ethnicity, among biomedical sciences graduate students in U.S. universities. Recognizing such challenges, a team of biomedical scientists and inclusivity educators developed and implemented a pilot training program within an academic health sciences center as an initial step to educate faculty and staff regarding their roles in the promotion of an inclusive academic environment, receptive to all students, including underrepresented students. The 3-h workshop included didactic modules, videos, teaching modules, and active attendee participation. Faculty and staff were presented common terminology and ways to promote the development of an inclusive and diverse academic workforce. Compared with pre-workshop, post-workshop survey results indicated a statistically significant improvement in attendee knowledge of correctly identifying definitions of “implicit bias,” “status leveling,” “color-blind racial attitudes,” “tokenism,” and “failure to differentiate.” Additionally, by the end of the workshop, participants had a statistically significant increase in self-perceptions regarding the importance of improving diversity and recognizing biases and stereotypes in graduate education, knowing what to say when interacting with people from different cultures, and the ability to acknowledge bias when mentoring students from groups underrepresented in the biomedical field. This preliminary initiative was successful in the introduction of faculty and staff to the importance of fostering an inclusive academic environment and thereby developing a diverse workforce.
Dental schools across the U.S. are in the process of incorporating interprofessional education (IPE) into their curricula. At Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center-New Orleans (LSUHSC), the process of educating competent students fully prepared to maximize patient outcomes through interprofessional care is under way. The aim of this study was to establish baseline data on three years of LSU dental students' perceptions of IPE prior to and as a new two-year IPE curriculum was being introduced. A survey was conducted of dental students in all four years from 2015 to 2017 using the Student Perceptions of Interprofessional Clinical Education-Revised instrument, version 2 (SPICE-R2). In 2015, 120 students participated in the survey for a response rate of 46%, followed by 160 students in 2016 (62%) and 170 in 2017 (67%). The results showed that the first-year students in 2017 had a higher total SPICE-R2 mean score than the first-year students in 2015 and 2016; the difference was statistically significant. Even though the 2017 first-year students had only received an orientation to the curriculum at the time they completed the survey, this change in attitude suggests the new focus on IPE was already having an effect on students. There were no statistically significant differences between mean scores for the three cohorts of second-, third-, and fourth-year students, none of whom had experienced the new IPE curriculum. Data from this study will serve as a baseline from which to evaluate the impact of the new IPE curriculum that is now required of all first- and second-year dental students. Through continued IPE exposure in the curriculum and ongoing faculty development, further improvements in students' attitudes toward IPE can be anticipated.
IPE improved student knowledge in the roles and responsibilities competency domain. In particular, nursing and occupational therapy students became more aware of the knowledge and skill set of the RT profession.
A growing body of evidence indicates interprofessional collaborative practice improves patient care. With this in mind, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center formally committed to expanding interprofessional education (IPE) initiatives. Thirty-eight self-selected students enrolled in an IPE elective course during the fall of 2012. Students completed the Readiness for Interprofessional Learning Scale (RIPLS) pre- and post-course and also completed a post-course survey. Results indicated a significant change in the roles and responsibilities scale of the RIPLS. Analysis of the data from the post-course survey demonstrated students were able to identify key terms of an IPE definition, as related to their learning experience. In addition, themes of communication, learning/increased knowledge, and collaboration/contribution of other health care professionals were noted across all questions in the post-course survey. Based on the results of this study, an elective course is a promising educational opportunity to increase awareness and knowledge of IPE within academic medical centers.
The purpose of the study was to determine the impact of an interprofessional education (IPE) experience on first year students across all schools of a health sciences center on the topic of pediatric immunizations. The authors conducted a pre-/post-test at Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center-New Orleans with 731 first year students from 25 academic programs encompassing all six schools (Allied Health, Dentistry, Graduate Studies, Medicine, Nursing and Public Health). In the four questions related to the Interprofessional Education Collaborative (IPEC) sub-competencies and the three questions related to professional role regarding immunizations, there was a statistically significant difference in the pre-/post-test survey results (P<0.0001). Student learning related to the collaboration needed to make a larger impact on patient outcomes was demonstrated through assessment of an open-ended question. IPE experiences can improve first-year students’ perceptions of IPEC sub-competencies regarding the importance of population health and teamwork. By utilizing a population health focus with IPE activities, novice learners are equipped to learn and apply collaborative practice skills along with recognizing the importance of promoting overall health and well-being instead of just health care.
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