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Education without walls: Using a street medicine program to provide real-world interprofessional learning
Justin Zeien1, Jeffery Hanna2, Sara Yee3
1Anesthesiology, Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, Bethesda, MD, USA.
Journal of Interprofessional Care
|January 11, 2022
Summary
Volunteering in street medicine programs significantly improves interprofessional skills for healthcare and social work students. Experiential learning in street medicine enhances collaborative competencies, complementing traditional education.
Area of Science:
- Healthcare education
- Public health initiatives
- Social work practice
Background:
- Interprofessional education (IPE) is crucial for healthcare and social work training, enhancing student skills and attitudes.
- Street medicine programs offer unique opportunities for interprofessional, team-based care training for vulnerable populations.
- Street Medicine Phoenix provides interprofessional outreach to the homeless population.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the impact of volunteering in a street medicine program on the development of interprofessional skills and behaviors among students and faculty.
- To evaluate the effectiveness of real-world, point-of-care experiences in enhancing interprofessional competencies.
Main Methods:
- An interprofessional team (medicine, nursing, social work, physical therapy, occupational therapy, public health, undergraduate studies) participated in monthly street outreach events.
- Volunteers completed the Interprofessional Collaborative Competencies Attainment Survey (ICCAS) pre- and post-semester.
- Data analysis focused on changes in ICCAS scores and the correlation between the number of shifts and score improvement.
Main Results:
- Statistically significant improvements in overall ICCAS scores were observed for all volunteers.
- No correlation was found between the number of volunteer shifts completed and the degree of ICCAS score improvement.
- The study highlights the positive impact of consistent engagement in street medicine on interprofessional development.
Conclusions:
- Street medicine programs serve as valuable platforms for interprofessional learning in healthcare and social work.
- Experiential street medicine outreach effectively supplements didactic and simulation-based IPE curricula.
- These programs provide essential real-world experience, fostering collaborative practice skills for future professionals.