Designing and Evaluating an Interprofessional Experiential Course Series Involving Medical and Pharmacy Students.

Area of Science:

• Health Professions Education
• Interprofessional Education
• Teamwork in Healthcare

Background:

• Effective healthcare delivery relies on interprofessional collaboration.
• Training future healthcare professionals in teamwork is crucial for patient outcomes.
• Pharmacy and medical students require specific preparation for collaborative practice.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the impact of an interprofessional experiential course series on student preparedness for healthcare teams.
• To evaluate student performance in interprofessional communication and teamwork.
• To measure student perceptions of interprofessional collaboration.

Main Methods:

• A 6-semester interprofessional experiential course series was implemented.
• Diverse teaching methods were employed to foster interprofessional and experiential learning.
• Standardized objective behavioral assessments and validated surveys were used for evaluation.

Main Results:

• Most student teams achieved competence in interprofessional communication and teamwork.
• A majority of students reported positive perceptions regarding collaboration, roles, and patient outcomes.
• The course series successfully facilitated interprofessional learning.

Conclusions:

• An interprofessional experiential course series is an effective model for achieving learning outcomes.
• High team performance and positive student feedback validate the success of interprofessional education.
• This approach enhances readiness for collaborative healthcare environments.