Interprofessional Collaboration in Health Care
HLTH6050, NURS6001, PHRX8040
This interdisciplinary course introduces students to the concepts and rationale for interdisciplinary health care using the case study approach. Emphasis is placed on the essential need for culturally competent health care professionals who contribute to and respect the interdisciplinary team approach to health care. Students engage in a variety of active learning opportunities that require communication skills, team skills, and critical thinking skills as they contribute discipline-specific knowledge to the creation of comprehensive interdisciplinary plans for optimal patient care. The learning strategies also promote students’ progression toward cultural competence. Lectures are provided by the multidisciplinary team of instructors and other health care professionals with expertise in specific areas of healthcare.
This elective course allows students an opportunity to interact with other health professions students and to build skills for interprofessional teamwork. The course is modeled on best practices for interprofessional education which includes exposure, immersion, and competence. Exposure and immersion are provided through structured interprofessional classroom experiences that allow students to learn about other healthcare professions, to consider cultural and ethical issues, and to enhance their communication and teamwork skills through interprofessional group projects. Team-based simulation activities and service-learning experiences in a community provide additional immersion designed to allow students to employ and refine new skills learned in the classroom. This combination of classroom learning and mentored application offers a solid foundation to build competence for later practice.
Student Learning Outcomes:
- Contribute discipline-specific knowledge and skills to patient/client care.
- Analyze case-based problems, using ethical principles and an interdisciplinary approach.
- Collaborate effectively with other health professions students.
- Progress in the development of cultural competence.
- Apply skills learned in the classroom to solve problems identified by the community, utilizing the pedagogy of service-learning.
