ABSTRACT
The importance of interprofessional collaborative practice has come into focus over the past decade as coordination and delivery of health care becomes increasingly complex. The need for students to acquire collaboration-building skills to prepare them to work effectively within diverse healthcare teams to improve patient outcomes is a goal of interprofessional education (IPE). Accrediting bodies across healthcare professions require IPE as part of a robust curriculum to build collaborative skill sets and create a practice ready workforce. To respond to this need, an online healthcare program developed an innovative model for student collaboration across professions and institutions through a virtual interprofessional education (VIPE) program. The VIPE model aims to simulate clinical practice via an asynchronous and synchronous pedagogical approach that combines PBL/CBL with psychological safety. VIPE demonstrated statistically significant gains in knowledge and positive attitudes toward interprofessional collaborative practice as a result of participation in the VIPE program. During COVID-19, the demand for high quality IPE for health professions’ students in virtual settings has grown, VIPE has the potential to be a solution for this. VIPE requires a dedicated committee and technical lead. Further research could involve longitudinal studies and nonaggregate models.
Acknowledgments
Yale, NYU, USC, St. John Fisher College, Georgetown, GW, Concordia, A T Still University, 2U, Alex Stawiarski, Pey-Jiuan Lee, Kristie Howard/Elaine Martinez who helped with the support of the grant disbursement, Joseph D. Yaksich MS, RN, ACNP-BC, CHSE, Frank Rubino, MS, Daniel Chlebos, MS, Diana Burden, MSN, FNP-BC, Anita Perr, PhD, OT/L, ATP, FAOTA, Pamela Biernacki, DNP, FNP-C
Disclosure statement
The development of this virtual interprofessional education (VIPE) activity and ensuing research was conducted with the support of a Josiah Macy Foundation grant. The views/opinions expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the Yale School of Medicine, NYU, USC, GW, Georgetown, Concordia, A T Still or St. John Fisher. No other relevant disclosures or conflicts of interest exist.
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Notes on contributors
Mary Showstark
Mary Showstark, MPAS, PA-C, FAWM, is an Assistant Professor at the Yale School of Medicine Physician Assistant Online Program and Affiliate Faculty at the Yale Institute of Global Health, New Haven, Connecticut, USA.
Dawn Joosten-Hagye
Dawn Joosten-Hagye, PhD, LCSW, MSW, GC-C, is an Associate Professor of Social Work in the Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work at the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
Andrew Wiss
Andrew C. Wiss, PhD, EdM, is the Assistant Dean for Academic Innovation and a Professorial Lecturer in the Department of Health Policy and Management at the Milken Institute School of Public Health at the George Washington University, Washington DC, USA.
Cheryl Resnik
Cheryl Resnik, PT, DPT, FNAP, FAPTA is a Professor of Clinical Physical Therapy in the Division of Biokinesiology & Physical Therapy at the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
Erin Embry
Erin Embry, MPA, MS, CCC-SLP, is the Associate Dean for Academic Operations and Clinical Associate Professor in the Department of Communicative Sciences and Disorders at Steinhardt School of Culture, Education and Human Development at New York University, New York, NY, USA.
Elke Zschaebitz
Elke Zschaebitz, DNP, APRN, FNP-BC, is an Assistant Professor in the Advanced Nursing Program at Georgetown University School of Nursing and Health Studies, Washington DC, USA
Melanie R. Symoniak
Melanie R. Symoniak, Pharm.D., BCPS, is a Clinical Pharmacist and an Adjunct Professor of Pharmacy Practice and former Chair for Interprofessional Education Initiatives at the Wegmans School of Pharmacy, St. John Fisher College, USA
Barbara Maxwell
Barbara Maxwell, PhD, DPT, MSc, Cert THE, FNAP, is Associate Dean and Director of the Indiana University Center for Interprofessional Practice and Education, and Professor of physical medicine and rehabilitation, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indiana, USA.
Anita Simmons
Anita Simmons, RN, MSN, is the Director of Simulation and full-time faculty at Concordia University School of Nursing, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
Jennifer Fieten
Jennifer Fieten, MA, CCLS, is an Adjunct Faculty Member in the Human Development and Family Studies Program at Maryville University, St. Louis, MO, USA, and is also a Certified Child Life Specialist at Beacon Children’s Hospital in South Bend, IN, USA.