Interprofessional Education at UNMC: Annual Report 2012-2013

The current, widespread changes taking place in health care mean that students in training today will practice in an environment very different than the one familiar to their teachers. Increasing emphasis on team-based care, the growth of innovative care models such as the Patient-Centered Medical Home, and the focus on measurable quality and safety outcomes will demand a skill set that has traditionally not been a major part of health care education. UNMC’s Interprofessional Education program seeks to provide students with these skills, allowing them to meet the challenges of a rapidly changing health care field. In the following pages, you will find a summary of recent developments in interprofessional education (IPE) at UNMC. By its nature, IPE requires involvement from students and educators representing all the health care disciplines. As such, it offers unique opportunities for collaboration across departments, colleges, and campuses. I hope you find it as exciting as I do to read about the numerous remarkable and creative programs already in place, as well as those currently in development. -- Devin Nickol, MD, Assistant Dean for Interprofessional Educationhttps://digitalcommons.unmc.edu/ipe_report/1000/thumbnail.jp

Building a Bigger Tent in Point-of-Care Ultrasound Education: A Mixed-Methods Evaluation of Interprofessional, Near-Peer Teaching of Internal Medicine Residents by Sonography Students

BACKGROUND: Point-of-care-ultrasound (POCUS) training is expanding in undergraduate and graduate medical education, but lack of trained faculty is a major barrier. Two strategies that may help mitigate this obstacle are interprofessional education (IPE) and near-peer teaching. The objective of this study was to evaluate a POCUS course in which diagnostic medical sonography (DMS) students served as near-peer teachers for internal medicine residents (IMR) learning to perform abdominal sonography. METHODS: Prior to the IPE workshop, DMS students participated in a train-the-trainer session to practice teaching and communication skills via case-based simulation. DMS students then coached first-year IMR to perform POCUS examinations of the kidney, bladder, and gallbladder on live models. A mixed-methods evaluation of the interprofessional workshop included an objective structured clinical exam (OSCE), course evaluation, and qualitative analysis of focus group interviews. RESULTS: Twenty-four of 24 (100%) IMR completed the OSCE, averaging 97.7/107 points (91.3%) (SD 5.2). Course evaluations from IMR and DMS students were globally positive. Twenty three of 24 residents (96%) and 6/6 DMS students (100%) participated in focus group interviews. Qualitative analysis identified themes related to the learning environment, scanning technique, and suggestions for improvement. IMR felt the interprofessional training fostered a positive learning environment and that the experience complimented traditional faculty-led workshops. Both groups noted the importance of establishing mutual understanding of expectations and suggested future workshops have more dedicated time for DMS student demonstration of scanning technique. CONCLUSION: An interprofessional, near-peer workshop was an effective strategy for teaching POCUS to IMR. This approach may allow broader adoption of POCUS in medical education, especially when faculty expertise is limited

The Big Ten IPE Academic Alliance: A regional approach to developing Interprofessional Education and practice

Interprofessional practice and education (IPE) efforts has greatly increased in the past few years, primarily through the leadership of several national and international organizations. These organizations have sponsored forums for information exchange and best practices, which has significantly influenced the development of programs across various educational institutions and practice environments. Several regional groups have emerged, organized around a common purpose and geographic proximity, to share ideas and implement new IPE programs across the cooperating organizations. This article describes the history and growth of one of the newer regional groups, the Big Ten IPE Academic Alliance. Included in this discussion is how the group was created, its governing structure and the various results of its efforts. The intent is to provide expanded guidance how to develop regional groups that are effective vehicles for the successful implementation of IPE within educational and health settings

Interprofessional Education Checklist

The IPE Checklist is a tool for appraising the quality of interprofessional health professions education resources. This IPE checklist was designed to assist educators as they develop and assess the value, relevance and utility of interprofessional resources and educational materials.https://digitalcommons.unmc.edu/ipe_tools/1000/thumbnail.jp

Building a bigger tent in point-of-care ultrasound education: a mixed-methods evaluation of interprofessional, near-peer teaching of internal medicine residents by sonography students

Abstract Background Point-of-care-ultrasound (POCUS) training is expanding in undergraduate and graduate medical education, but lack of trained faculty is a major barrier. Two strategies that may help mitigate this obstacle are interprofessional education (IPE) and near-peer teaching. The objective of this study was to evaluate a POCUS course in which diagnostic medical sonography (DMS) students served as near-peer teachers for internal medicine residents (IMR) learning to perform abdominal sonography. Methods Prior to the IPE workshop, DMS students participated in a train-the-trainer session to practice teaching and communication skills via case-based simulation. DMS students then coached first-year IMR to perform POCUS examinations of the kidney, bladder, and gallbladder on live models. A mixed-methods evaluation of the interprofessional workshop included an objective structured clinical exam (OSCE), course evaluation, and qualitative analysis of focus group interviews. Results Twenty-four of 24 (100%) IMR completed the OSCE, averaging 97.7/107 points (91.3%) (SD 5.2). Course evaluations from IMR and DMS students were globally positive. Twenty three of 24 residents (96%) and 6/6 DMS students (100%) participated in focus group interviews. Qualitative analysis identified themes related to the learning environment, scanning technique, and suggestions for improvement. IMR felt the interprofessional training fostered a positive learning environment and that the experience complimented traditional faculty-led workshops. Both groups noted the importance of establishing mutual understanding of expectations and suggested future workshops have more dedicated time for DMS student demonstration of scanning technique. Conclusion An interprofessional, near-peer workshop was an effective strategy for teaching POCUS to IMR. This approach may allow broader adoption of POCUS in medical education, especially when faculty expertise is limited

Quality indicators of IPE resources: Creation of a checklist for design and evaluation using a modified Delphi process

© 2020 Elsevier Inc. Background: Interprofessional education (IPE) is a required component of training for all major health professions. A variety of instructional methods and activities have been adopted, however there is no widely-accepted review checklist to guide the creation and utilization of high quality and relevant IPE materials. Method: A modified Delphi method was used to generate consensus around specific elements synonymous with high quality and relevant interprofessional education resources and instructional materials. The process included one pre-voting round with a convenience sample of 15 IPE professionals, and 3 subsequent rounds with an 8 member IPE expert panel from 6 institutions. Results: The resulting IPE checklist includes 33 items grouped into categories of Content, Logistics and Assessment considerations. The checklist supports the development of new resources and evaluation of existing activities. Conclusions: The modified Delphi process was a successful means to solicit expert feedback during the construction and iterative refinement of the IPE Checklist. The checklist will be useful in the design of new interprofessional education activities, and also in evaluating the quality of existing activities