Fostering Inter-Professional Education through Service Learning: The Belize Experience

Abstract

Service-learning and interprofessional education are forms of experiential learning that instill confidence in students. This pilot study used a post-service learning survey to explore the benefits of interprofessional education in a service-learning experience with students. Findings indicated that this service-learning experience contributed to the development of cultural awareness, and professional skills, as well as increased team attitudes and perceptions related to the respective roles of occupational and physical therapy students. The following report describes students' perspectives and satisfaction concerning professional development, interprofessional education, and cultural awareness utilizing quantitative and qualitative descriptors.

Keywords:

• Health disparities
• interprofessional education
• service learning

Acknowledgments

The authors to wish to thank the occupational therapy and physical therapy departments’ leadership, faculty, and students for their support. In addition we wish to express our sincere appreciation to Dr. Ellen Godwin and Dr. Adrian Logush as well as to the Inspiration Center of Belize for their collaboration.

Data available

The data that support the findings of this study are available on request from the corresponding author, [DC]. The data are not publicly available due to [restrictions e.g. their containing information that could compromise the privacy of research participants].

Conflicts of interests

We are reporting that we have no potential conflicts of interests.

Additional information

Funding

This study was not supported by any grants or funding.