This session will address the conference theme of preparing students for interprofessional collaborative practice. Healthcare professionals working with pediatric populations must understand and appreciate the contributions of various disciplines to treatment and child outcomes. Students and trainees in all fields should recognize that they do not have all the answers and will need to rely on the expertise available within multidisciplinary teams. As part of this initiative, occupational therapy (OT), speech-language pathology (SLP), and Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO) students participate in a collaborative learning experience aimed at understanding each other's roles and responsibilities while providing services to children with disabilities and their families. The foundation of this IPE experience is an educational website developed by the presenters, which features an in-depth case study focused on a child diagnosed with autism in a primary care setting, highlighting the complexities of care for children with autism. Students participating in this initiative have access to various clinical assessments that cover developmental milestones, sensory processing issues, communication challenges, and social interaction difficulties.
During this one-day, four-hour IPE experience, students are encouraged to critically analyze how each profession contributes uniquely to a patient’s evaluation, intervention planning, and care coordination. Emphasis is also placed on the importance of teamwork and communication among the various disciplines. Students engage in group discussions and role-playing exercises, allowing them to practice creating integrated care plans, which prepares them for future practice in multidisciplinary environments focused on improving outcomes for children with disabilities and their families.
The presenters will discuss the quantitative data findings by presenting changes in pre- and post-scores from the Students' Perceptions of Interprofessional Clinical Education Scale, a concise 10-item self-report survey that assesses health professions students' perceptions of interprofessional education and collaborative practice. Additionally, they will discuss qualitative findings from student reflections on their experiences with interprofessional education.
This presentation is designed to empower learners with insights from our experience in facilitating interprofessional education (IPE) experiences for healthcare students. We will discuss the dynamics of small group discussions, highlighting the diverse professional interpretations that emerge regarding patients’ needs and goals. Furthermore, we will examine the pivotal influence of faculty facilitators representing three distinct professions, illustrating how their guidance fosters collaborative learning and enhances the overall educational experience.
