Bringing Interprofessional Case-Based Learning into the Classroom for Occupational Therapy and Speech-Language...

Area of Science:

• Health Professions Education
• Interprofessional Practice
• Speech-Language Pathology

Background:

• Academic programs increasingly use interprofessional education (IPE) to meet curriculum needs.
• IPE enhances the quality of collaborative patient services.
• This study details a specific case-based IPE activity for graduate students.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe a case-based interprofessional education (IPE) activity.
• To assess graduate students' knowledge of roles in augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) services.
• To evaluate the perceived value of a small-scale IPE intervention.

Main Methods:

• A case-based interprofessional education (IPE) activity was designed for occupational therapy and speech-language pathology graduate students.
• The activity involved both online and in-class components.
• Students participated across two academic courses.

Main Results:

• Students reported increased knowledge and skills related to their professional roles in augmentative and alternative communication (AAC).
• The instructors considered the educational intervention valuable despite its small scale.
• The activity served as a complementary component to larger learning initiatives.

Conclusions:

• Case-based interprofessional education (IPE) activities can effectively enhance graduate students' understanding of interprofessional roles.
• This small-scale IPE intervention successfully improved students' knowledge in augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) services.
• IPE is a valuable pedagogical approach for preparing future healthcare professionals for collaborative practice.