Learning Outcomes of a Student-led Interprofessional Clinical Rotation for Patients with Movement Disorders

Background: Interprofessional education (IPE) opportunities are growing nationwide to engage future healthcare professionals in enhancing team-based skills before entering the workforce. Didactic IPE instruction in clinical settings is rare compared to classroom and simulated experiences, despite the growing body of evidence demonstrating its impact. This study examines students’ perspectives on their experiences following participation in an interprofessional community group setting for patients with movement disorders. Design: Music, occupational, and speech therapy students were assigned to lead the interprofessional community group as part of their mandatory clinical rotations. They engaged with faculty leaders over the course of the semester to implement a weekly community group. Participants in this study were students invited to engage in focus groups following participation in this clinical setting to discuss their experiences. A total of 16 participants engaged in three focus groups that were offered and facilitated by an outside team member for student confidentiality. Transcripts were provided by the facilitator and coded for thematic analysis by four faculty members involved in supervising the weekly clinical rotations, following Braun & Clark (2006) recommendations. Results: Following independent coding and group discussion, several themes emerged from the three focus groups. These included group dynamics, confidence and application, IPE core competencies, patient benefit and perspectives, and clinical reasoning. Additionally, students found their participation beneficial for themselves and their patients.They also reported increased confidence in IPE and applying what they learned to other IPE-related settings. Conclusion: This study demonstrates that IPE learning opportunities in clinical settings are positive for patients and students while helping increase their confidence in meeting IPE core competencies. This provides further evidence that early educational IPE experiences will promote continued and expanded IPE in medical settings for these participants once they graduate and begin clinical careers. Implications: Didactic instruction is challenging to coordinate but may be beneficial for both students and patients involved.

This poster fulfills the criteria for the category of Preparing Students for Interprofessional Collaborative Practice as it demonstrates didactic instruction may be an effective way for students to learn IPE core competencies while also gaining clinical experience and skill.