An interprofessional education session for first-year health science students

Area of Science:

• Health Professions Education
• Interprofessional Collaboration
• Curriculum Development

Background:

• Interprofessional education (IPE) is crucial for preparing health science students for collaborative practice.
• Early exposure to IPE can shape students' perceptions and attitudes toward teamwork.
• Integrating diverse health professions in educational settings is essential for modern healthcare.

Purpose of the Study:

• To implement and evaluate the effectiveness of an introductory IPE session for first-year health sciences students.
• To assess the short-term impact of the IPE session on students' perceptions and attitudes.
• To identify student-reported gains and shortfalls in the IPE experience.

Main Methods:

• A mixed-method pretest/posttest design was employed to evaluate the IPE session.
• A 2.5-hour session focused on a patient case and discharge scenarios for 9 health professions.
• Six focus groups were conducted with students to gather qualitative feedback.

Main Results:

• 914 out of 1197 (76%) health professions students attended the IPE session.
• Key benefits reported included recognizing teamwork's importance (30%) and understanding professional roles (29%).
• Student-identified shortfalls involved presentation content/style (26%) and technical/organizational issues (23%).

Conclusions:

• The introductory IPE session was effective in initiating students to interprofessional collaboration.
• Recommendations include debriefing, integration with uniprofessional curricula, and increased small group interaction.
• Students can contribute to IPE planning committees.