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Abstract

Introduction: The call for increasing interprofessional education requires institutional support for educators in the clinical environment. Innovative ideas, such as partnering with multiple universities and programs to facilitate an interprofessional workshop, have the opportunity to reach a broader group of clinical educators. The purpose of this study was to examine the attitude of healthcare professionals towards interprofessional learning, familiarity with concepts of interprofessional teaching, and interprofessional practice, and to examine the influence of an interprofessional faculty development workshop on participant familiarity with concepts of interprofessional teaching and learning. Methods: The occupational therapy, physical therapy, and physician assistant programs from two universities collaborated to implement an all-day inter-institutional, interprofessional clinical faculty development workshop. Community clinical educators who participated in the event were surveyed pre- and post-workshop to examine their attitude, readiness, and knowledge of interprofessional learning and teaching. Using the revised version of the Readiness of Interprofessional Learning Scale, the following subscales were measured and analyzed: 1) Teamwork and Collaboration, 2) Negative Professional Identity, 3) Positive Professional Identity, and 4) Roles and Responsibilities. Results: Forty-three participants representing six different healthcare professions completed pre- and post-course surveys. Forty-four percent reported participating in interprofessional education. Overall, the attendees reported the value of the workshop as a 4.6 on a 5.0 point Likert scale, with 5.0 being the highest rating. Self-reported familiarity of the fundamental concepts of interprofessional teaching, interprofessional practice, and interprofessional education improved up to 32% following participation in the workshop. The highest increase in familiarity was in the area of knowledge of interprofessional practice and education. Participants reported high levels of agreement about the value of teamwork, collaboration, and positive professional identity. Conclusion: Integrating the Core Competencies for Interprofessional Collaborative Practice into educational programs and clinical practice can facilitate improved understanding of professional roles and improved collaborative practice.

Author Bio(s)

Debra Bierwas, PT, DPT, DHSc is the Director of Clinical Education and Assistant Professor at the Physical Therapy Program, Midwestern University, 19555 N. 59th Avenue, Glendale, AZ, 85308 (dbierw@midwestern.edu). Please address all correspondence to Debra Bierwas.

Oaklee Rogers, OTD, OTR/L is the Academic Fieldwork Coordinator and Assistant Clinical Professor at Northern Arizona University in Phoenix, AZ.

Brenda Taubman, PhD, OTR/L is an Assistant Professor and Coordinator of Clinical Education at Midwestern University, Glendale, AZ.

Lorie Kroneberger, PT, DPT, GCS is an Associate Clinical Professor and Academic Coordinator of Clinical Education at Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, AZ.

Holly Carroll, PT, DPT is an Assistant Clinical Professor and Academic Coordinator of Clinical Education at Northern Arizona University in Phoenix, AZ.

Patrick Enking, MS, PA-C is a Professor and Director of Clinical Education at the University of Nevada, Reno, NV.

DOI

10.46743/1540-580X/2017.1661

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