Health Professions Students' Assessment of an Interprofessional Rural Public Health-Focused Rotation: A Pilot Study...

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Interprofessional Education
• Rural Health Professions Education

Background:

• Community-Oriented Primary Care (COPC) models are crucial for rural health.
• Interprofessional education (IPE) is vital for effective healthcare teams.
• A structured rural IPE curriculum is needed to enhance public health competencies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate an interprofessional rural rotation using a COPC approach.
• To assess the impact of a team-based public health project on student learning.
• To measure increases in interprofessional and public health competencies.

Main Methods:

• A public health-focused team project in a rural health department and primary care setting.
• Involved fourth-year dental, imaging science, medical (MD/MPH), and pharmacy students; second-year master of public health, nurse practitioner, and MSN nursing students; and first-year PhD students.
• Curriculum focused on Interprofessional Education Collaborative competencies and MPH Core Competencies.

Main Results:

• 13 student participants showed increased perceived knowledge.
• Gains were observed in 4 out of 5 interprofessional emphasis areas.
• Significant improvements were noted in 9 out of 10 public health competencies.

Conclusions:

• The interprofessional rural education model demonstrated short-term effectiveness.
• The COPC approach successfully enhanced student knowledge in teamwork and public health.
• This model shows promise for training diverse health professions students in rural settings.