Expanding the Nexus: Using Poverty Simulation as an IPE Clinical Learning Tool

Interprofessional education is foundational to creating a health care team prepared to improve patient outcomes, however, patients and families are often absent from the educational setting. Faculty from the School of Nursing, Department of Communication Studies, School of Business, and Department of Social Work collaborated to create a Poverty Simulation designed to engage students from all programs, residents from public housing, and academic-practice partners.

The five-part simulation experience includes: 1) collaboration with diverse faculty to build the simulation experience, 2) directed study by students using a previously developed IPE curriculum, 3) student, faculty and academic partner participation in a day long poverty simulation, 4) Sharing and reflection among students, public housing residents, faculty, and academic-practice partners, and 5) assessment/evaluation. At the end of the spring 2019 semester, students from all programs will move through a half-day, high-intensity poverty simulation, and emphasizing social determinants of health and procurement of resources while living in unstable socioeconomic conditions. In the afternoon, students and public housing residents will share experiences and reflect on the effects of poverty on health and well-being. At the end of the day, an evaluation of the experience by all participants and an outside consultant will be completed.

While results are pending, it is anticipated that the event will be transformational for all participants through recognition of preconceived bias, development of a shared understanding regarding the correlation between socioeconomic status and health outcomes, and co-creation of a health care delivery model designed to keep the family at the center of care.

Funded by the National Center for Interprofessional Practice and Education; Robert Wood Johnson Foundation; John A. Hartford Foundation; Josiah Macy Jr. Foundation; Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation; University of Minnesota (Grant# P0055314)