Getting to know you: implementing an interprofessional education program for medical and respiratory therapy students in mechanical ventilation – challenges and lessons learned

ABSTRACT

The physician and respiratory therapist function as an interprofessional team caring for patients on mechanical ventilation. There is a paucity of research devoted to interprofessional education (IPE) of students from different professions in mechanical ventilation during clinical rotations in the medical intensive care unit (MICU). Student interprofessional education could develop team communication and shared decision-making skills early in training. The uniqueness of this introductory IPE programme is that it occurs during a clinical rotation in a real MICU, as opposed to a pre-clinical simulated campus setting, and it blends students from various educational backgrounds. Medical students and respiratory therapy students from different academic institutions participated in traditional lectures, small interprofessional group case-based problem-solving sessions, MICU bedside teaching sessions, written assessments, and focus groups. Quantitative responses were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Qualitative responses were categorised using the core competencies for Interprofessional Collaborative Practice. The purpose of this introductory IPE programme was to foster opportunities for interprofessional interaction during the student clinical experience while improving knowledge about mechanical ventilation. Qualitative expectations and feedback were predominantly positive. Quantitative responses suggest that students from both disciplines gained knowledge about mechanical ventilation in an IPE setting.

KEYWORDS:

• Interprofessional education
• mechanical ventilation
• medical intensive care unit
• respiratory therapy students
• medical students
• MICU

Author Note

Mary Jo Farmer contributed to literature search, data collection, study design, analysis of data, manuscript preparation, and revision of manuscript. Reva Kleppel contributed to literature search, data collection as the focus group leader, and review of manuscript. Data presented in part by Dr Farmer at North East Group on Educational Affairs (NEGEA), Brown University, RI, 2016; and at Mary Yee Research Day, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, 2019

Supplementary Material

Supplemental data for this article can be accessed on the publisher’s website

Acknowledgments

Esther Perrelli Brookes, MEd, RRT, Program Director, and Department Chair, Respiratory Care Program, Springfield Technical Community College, Springfield, MA, supported this IPE program and recruited respiratory therapy students.

Ashley Hughes, PhD, MS, Assistant Professor, Department of Biomedical and Health Information Sciences, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, reviewed a final version of the manuscript and gave valuable feedback regarding IPE theory.

Alexander Knee, Epi/Bio Program Manager, Baystate Medical Center, Springfield, MA, designed the analysis for quantitative data.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Data Availability Statement

The data, pre- and post-test questionnaires and focus group guidelines are available from the corresponding author, MJF, upon reasonable request.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Tufts University School of Medicine, Innovations in Education Intramural Grant Program.

Notes on contributors

Mary Jo S Farmer

Mary Jo S. Farmer, MD, PhD is an Assistant Professor of Medicine, Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Department of Medicine at the University of Massachusetts Medical School - Baystate, Springfield, MA and adjunct Assistant Professor, Department of Medicine, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, MA.  Dr. Farmer has a special interest in interprofessional education and pulmonary vascular disease medicine.

Reva Kleppel

Reva Kleppel, MSW, MPH is a Clinical Research Manager for the Internal Medicine Residency Program, University of Massachusetts Medical School - Baystate.