Creating an Interprofessional Collaborative Research Opportunity for Physical and Occupational Therapy Students

Area of Science:

• Allied Health Professions Education
• Interprofessional Collaborative Practice
• Health Sciences Education Technology

Background:

• Professional associations emphasize interprofessional collaborative practice (IPCP) for entry-level therapists.
• A significant challenge in PT and OT programs is the lack of complementary disciplines within the same university.
• This limits opportunities for students to develop essential IPCP skills.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present a feasible model for creating interprofessional learning experiences for PT and OT students when programs are not co-located.
• To demonstrate how technology can facilitate active learning and interprofessional student engagement across universities.
• To align the developed IPE model with the Interprofessional Education Collaborative (IPEC) core competencies.

Main Methods:

• A case study approach was employed to develop and implement an interprofessional project.
• Various technologies were utilized to bridge geographical barriers between universities.
• Students participated in a breast cancer survivorship research study to fulfill IPEC competencies.

Main Results:

• The project successfully created an active learning opportunity for PT and OT students from different institutions.
• The collaborative project enabled students to engage with IPEC competencies: value/ethics, roles/responsibilities, communication, and teamwork.
• Faculty made "micro level" changes to foster collaboration, showing potential for broader application.

Conclusions:

• A technology-enabled model can effectively facilitate interprofessional education for PT and OT students across geographically separated universities.
• This approach addresses the challenge of co-locating complementary allied health programs.
• Such initiatives hold the potential to enhance interprofessional collaboration and improve client health outcomes.