Expanding Interprofessional Practice Solutions Through Student-faculty Partnerships

Finding Interprofessional practice (IPP) learning environments for healthcare students in community-based clinics can be challenging. One solution is to create the experiences through faculty and student innovative partnerships that can promote an interprofessional relationship alliance which benefits students, the development and evolvement of interprofessional curriculum, and educational institutions.

In 2016, a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Quality Improvement (QI) project, completed at a university academic health center for women, resulted in an embedded IPP course curriculum, a continuous evaluation system and a sustainable 16 hour clinical rotation in high-risk obstetrical care. The IPP learning experience developed from multifaceted partnerships that are fundamentally guided and supported by deepening the partnership between student and faculty helps to facilitate the learning experiences of mutuality, trust, and transformation.

Aligning collaborative curriculum learning partnerships with interprofessional clinical environments promotes connectedness to a shared community healthcare experience which impacts patients, learners, providers and ultimately, systems. Each year the participating students complete the Interprofessional Competency Attainment Survey (ICCAS) and a debriefing. Results from the last 3 years show an increase in the self-reported abilities assessed in all 20 questions in the ICCAS, which is based upon the core competencies for interprofessional practice. Several qualitative themes were also identified including an increase in students’ value of team members’ mutual respect, clearly defined roles, using standardized and effective communication, and viewing the patient as central to the team.

This presentation will describe the outcomes of this partnership-based project which enhanced DNP student education and the insights gained about key aspects that contributed to its success. Participants will be able to describe a) how a faculty-student co-created IPP learning model can be implemented in multiple settings, b) key components of developing and embedding supportive IPP curriculum tools within an existing course, and c) IPP learning evaluation methods at point of care.