Interprofessional Education in Community Health Contexts

Abstract

This pilot study explores an interprofessional, practice-based education initiative that placed students from four different professions (medicine, nursing, social work, and pharmacy) in a community health clinic ½ day per week for 8 months. The study was guided by two research questions: (1) How do clinic experiences contribute to students’ understanding of social determinants of health? (2) What factors influence the creation of an effective learning environment? To address these questions, we conducted a qualitative, ethnographic study that included participant observation, focus groups, and textual analysis. This study allowed us to explore the experiences of students and staff as they interacted in a community-based clinic setting. We found that the interprofessional, clinic-based experience improved students’ knowledge- and practice-based competencies in a variety of areas, including awareness of social determinants of health, skills in securing resources for patients with financial limitations, appreciation for health education and health promotion in clinical practice, and experience working interprofessionally. We observed that creating environments that support this kind of student learning requires time and effort on the part of the clinic staff. We discuss implications of these findings for supporting future interprofessional, practice-based health education initiatives.

Realist approach to evaluating an interprofessional education program for medical students in clinical practice at a community hospital

“…In one study, students from various departments took part in interprofessional team projects at community clinics to improve their understanding of various professions (Hosny et al 2013). In another, medical students, nursing students, medical social work students and pharmacy students participated in clinical IPE training for half a day, once a week for 8 months to learn about the social determinants of health (Suiter et al 2015). The Centers of Excellence in Primary Care Education (CoEPCE) in the US reported the short-term learning effects of implementing IPE in clinical practice in the primary care field (Harada et al 2018).…”

Interprofessional Education Collaborative Competencies and the Public Health Professional

“…For fieldwork, after participating in interprofessional workshops embedded into nursing and medical student fieldwork rotations, participants perceived improved team collaboration skills (Brashers et al, 2016). Health profession student participants also reported improved interprofessional knowledge and skills after participating in community clinic–based fieldwork (Suiter, Davidson, McCaw, & Fenelon, 2015) as well as teamwork attitude change after participating in a patient home-visiting field experience (Renschler, Rhodes, & Cox, 2016). Health profession students’ self-reports of core interprofessional competency attainment and future commitment to interprofessional practice were also noted after a self-directed, elective fellowship (Blue, Mitcham, Koutalos, Howell, & Leaphart, 2014).…”