Establishing an Interprofessional Honor Society as an Extracurricular Health Professions Educational Bridge: A...

Area of Science:

• Health Professions Education
• Interprofessional Collaboration
• Academic Health Centers

Background:

• Increasing healthcare complexity requires interprofessional problem-solving and decision-making.
• Traditional professional silos hinder interprofessional collaboration and understanding among health professionals.
• Early education in interprofessional approaches is crucial for health professional students.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the establishment of an interprofessional honor society at an academic health center.
• To provide a model for other institutions seeking to foster interprofessional collaboration.
• To address the relational gaps among health professional students.

Main Methods:

• A formative program evaluation case study was conducted.
• Established a chapter of Alpha Epsilon Lambda, the National Honor Society of Graduate and Professional School Students.
• Identified necessary inputs, processes, and outputs for program success.

Main Results:

• Key inputs include funding, student leaders, and institutional commitment.
• Essential activities involve community service, induction ceremonies, and a student journal.
• Program outputs should be monitored and linked to educational and healthcare outcomes.

Conclusions:

• An interprofessional honor society can serve as an effective extracurricular program.
• This initiative promotes interprofessional collaboration among students during formative training.
• The described model can guide other institutions in developing similar programs.