The Presidential Scholars Program at the Medical University of South Carolina: An extracurricular approach to interprofessional education

Abstract

The Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) developed a Presidential Scholars Program (PSP) in order to foster interprofessional collaboration among students from the different health professions on campus. Now in its seventh year, the program provides approximately 40 selected students each year from six different colleges with a two-semester interprofessional educational experience. Students work in small interprofessional teams on a project designed to address a broad-based health care issue; they also participate in other structured educational sessions throughout the year. As one means for assessing student impressions of the interprofessional collaborative experience, a survey was administered prior to and immediately after the experience. Additionally, a sample of non-scholar MUSC students was randomly selected for completion of the survey as a control group. Results indicate that PSP students have a significantly greater understanding of each other and deeper appreciation of the value of interprofessional collaboration at the end of the year. The Presidential Scholars Program at MUSC provides a unique and innovative opportunity for students to work with individuals within other health care disciplines, reduces stereotypes of the various professions and teaches important team skills. Future research would involve alumni follow-up in order to further evaluate the long-term impact of the program.

Promoting Interprofessional Collaboration Through the Co-Curricular Environment

“…Several studies have examined students' attitudes following specific IPE activities (Harward, Tresolini, & Davis, 2006;Mu, Chao, Jensen, & Royeen, 2004;Rose et al, 2009;Furze, Lohman & Mu, 2008;Cameron et al, 2009;Becker & Goodwin, 2005;Neill, Hayward, & Peterson, 2007;Ragucci, Steyer, Wager, West, & Zoller, 2009). Our work builds and expands upon these by examining attitudinal differences of students who have experienced IP interaction only through participation in IP co-curricular experiences of substantive duration.…”

“…The program fosters interprofessional collaboration through students working in interprofessional teams on a project designed to address broad-based health-care issues. Through structured educational sessions, they also learn about the complexities of the healthcare system, including how social, economic, legislative, and policy issues impact health and healthcare delivery (Ragucci, Steyer, Wager, West, & Zoller, 2009). …”

Participation in an Interprofessional Health Fair: Student Perceptions of Teamwork and the Role of Faculty

“…Typically students in health professions programs are receiving training primarily by faculty and with students within their discipline. While this is obviously beneficial to learning the specifics of their chosen profession, differences among health profession students and faculty can often create barriers to interprofessional learning (Ragucci et al, 2009). Even with didactic programs in the health sciences increasingly promoting the idea of IPE and teamwork, there are frequently barriers and challenges associated with providing students the opportunity to hone those skills at an early stage in their academic careers (IOM, 2003, p. 79).…”

“…Although the prominence of IPE is increasing, establishing interprofessional education experiences for health profession students is not a simple task (Ragucci, Steyer, Wager, West, & Zoller, 2009). Typically students in health professions programs are receiving training primarily by faculty and with students within their discipline.…”

A Novel Approach to Interprofessional Education: Interprofessional Day, the Four-Year Experience at the Medical University of South Carolina

“…These have included an interprofessional quality improvement elective [17]; a five-week rural interdisciplinary clinical training experience, the "South Carolina Rural Interdisciplinary Program in Training (SCRIPT)" [18]; and the Presidential Scholars Program, a year-long co-curricular experience for selected students during which students engage in interprofessional team community project work and attend sessions about social and healthcare issues pertinent to all health professionals [19]. These programs have enjoyed significant success, but we recognized that only a limited number of students benefited from each experience, and that student participation was voluntary.…”