Evaluation of a Unique Interprofessional Education Program Involving Medical and Pharmacy Students

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Pharmacy Education
• Interprofessional Collaboration

Background:

• Traditional medical and pharmacy education often occurs in silos.
• Developing interprofessional competencies is crucial for effective healthcare delivery.
• There is a need for innovative educational models to foster collaboration.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the impact of a half-day interprofessional education event on pharmacy and medical students' competencies.
• To measure changes in specific interprofessional skills following a collaborative learning experience.

Main Methods:

• A half-day Healthcare Interprofessional Education Day (HIPED) involving 118 pharmacy and 28 medical students.
• Activities included collaborative stations on communication, patient interviewing, and prescribing.
• The Interprofessional Collaborative Competency Attainment Survey (ICCAS) was used for assessment.

Main Results:

• A 91% response rate with 133 completed surveys.
• Significant improvements were observed across all 20 ICCAS items.
• Strongest gains were in collaboration, roles & responsibilities, and patient-centered approaches; conflict resolution showed the least improvement.

Conclusions:

• The HIPED event was an effective interprofessional learning experience.
• The program demonstrated a successful shift from siloed to synergistic educational models.
• Findings support integrating collaborative training into pharmacy and medical school curricula.