Collaborating to Improve Patient Care
Touro University Nevada hosted an Interprofessional Education Event bringing together students from the College of Osteopathic Medicine and College of Health and Human Services in addition to 45 pharmacy students from Roseman University and 30 speech-language pathology students from Nevada State University. This event is an opportunity for students to gain experience working with cross-disciplinary medical professionals in simulation scenarios that prepares them for real-world patient care.
“No matter what field or degree you are studying in, upon graduation you will not be working as one, but within a whole team of individuals caring for your patient,” said Dr. Andrew Priest, Campus President & Provost. “These events are great to break students out of their lecture halls and textbooks to learn how to collaborate and communicate with each other.”
During the event students learned to respect the unique cultures, values, roles, responsibilities, and expertise of other health professions and the impact these factors can have on health outcomes. Practice communicating one’s roles and responsibilities clearly to patients, families, community members, and other professionals. Furthermore, explain the roles and responsibilities of other providers and how the team works together to provide care, promote health, and prevent disease.
“I’m most excited for about this whole event is getting to understand different professions, so that when I actually go into the real world, I understand everyone's role of the better and I won’t have a bias towards them,” shared Doctor of Physical Therapy student, Tiana Aiken. “We can work to the ultimate goal of treating a patient better and improving our healthcare skills, especially in United States.”
During the three-hour long educational event, students heard from guest speakers about the importance their communication, collaboration, and decision making has on their patients. They were able to discuss their chosen fields with their fellow students to better dispel myths and understand how their roles overlap and work in tandem. Teams comprised of various fields worked through a fictional patient case to better understand their roles and responsibilities to their patient.
“Those of us who have experienced healthcare, good and bad, can really understand the significance of having a team on your side. It's not just the doctor. Creating awareness for the students that what their individual job is, is not the only job. It's not the only thing that is happening to that patient,” added Dr. Jutta Ward, Professor and Assistant Dean of Clinical Curriculum. “I want the biggest takeaway to be that they've opened their eyes a little bit that it is not all about me. It's not all about me and what I'm doing.”
