HSHP Hosts Interprofessional Education Training

By Elizabeth Gangemi, January 27, 2020
Program prepares HSHP faculty members to develop leading-edge curriculum.
woman writing on a large sheet of paper

Elizabeth McLaney,  associate director at the University of Toronto’s Centre for Interprofessional Education and the director of Interprofessional Education at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, discusses the attributes of high functioning teams. 

(Photo by Giovanni Santacroce/Ithaca College)

Elizabeth McLaney,  associate director at the University of Toronto’s Centre for Interprofessional Education and the director of Interprofessional Education at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, discusses the attributes of high functioning teams. 

(Photo by Giovanni Santacroce/Ithaca College)

Ithaca College’s School of Health Science and Human Performance (HSHP) recently hosted the Educating Health Professionals in Interprofessional Care (ehpic) training.

The event, developed and run by The University of Toronto’s Centre for Interprofessional Education, engaged faculty and local community members in a three-day event focused on the knowledge, skills and attitudes required to teach students the art and science of working collaboratively for patient-centered care. Interprofessional education is defined as occasions where students from two or more professions in health and social care learn together as part of their professional training.

HSHP faculty and staff representing more than a dozen different health related professions were joined by local community members for the training, which took place from Jan. 15-17. The participants worked together in teams to learn how to best incorporate interprofessional education into the curriculum.

“It is an expectation of many employers today that students enter the workforce prepared with skills to function well on interprofessional teams, with a keen understanding of their role in contributing toward improved patient health outcomes,” said Linda Petrosino, dean of the School of Health Sciences and Human Performance. “This training for our faculty and community members — who often offer our students internship and professional placement opportunities — provides a critical framework in developing leading-edge curriculum that prepares our students for contemporary healthcare practices.”

According to Petrosino, Ithaca College’s investment in bringing this event to campus maps to one of the School of HSHP’s strategic priorities: “to infuse and to systemize interprofessional education, interprofessional practice, and interprofessional collaboration across the curriculum.” It also aligns with the college’s strategic plan. One of Petrosino’s goals in hosting the training was to identify innovative strategies or ideas that can be built upon to create Ithaca College interprofessional education signature experiences that distinguish the institution as a school of choice.

“I feel very strongly that our students, no matter what health profession or setting they are working in, need to understand, respect, and be able to closely work with each other in order to fully benefit our clients.”

Samantha Brown, assistant director of clinical education and assistant professor for the Department of Physical Therapy

In fact, interprofessional education experiences are already occurring at Ithaca College. Samantha Brown, PT, DPT, GCS, assistant director of clinical education and assistant professor for the Department of Physical Therapy, has been involved in the development of an interprofessional education curriculum for the last three years. Brown is collaborating with multidisciplinary faculty on a new assignment for introductory courses in HSHP this semester which introduces the concept of interprofessional education to first-year undergraduate students. The goal is for students to learn about other professions while at the same time learning to communicate what their profession does.  

“I feel very strongly that our students, no matter what health profession or setting they are working in, need to understand, respect, and be able to closely work with each other in order to fully benefit our clients,” said Brown. “The ehpic training will give HSHP faculty the knowledge and tools to thread interprofessional education into existing classes.”

Another example of interprofessional education at work at Ithaca College is the partnership with Longview through the Center for Life Skills (CLS). Clinical faculty guide students in disciplines including therapeutic recreation, physical therapy, speech-language pathology and occupational therapy to work together to provide rehabilitation services to clients who experienced a stroke.

faculty members sitting at a table together

IC faculty members Hongwei Guan, associate professor in the Department of Health Promotion and Physical Education, and Catherine Gooch, clinical assistant professor in the Department of Recreation and Leisure Studies, participate in the training.

(Photo by Giovanni Santacroce/Ithaca College)

IC faculty members Hongwei Guan, associate professor in the Department of Health Promotion and Physical Education, and Catherine Gooch, clinical assistant professor in the Department of Recreation and Leisure Studies, participate in the training.

(Photo by Giovanni Santacroce/Ithaca College)

 “The CLS program provides a valuable interprofessional practice learning experience for Ithaca College students,” said David Hajjar, Ph.D., assistant professor, Department of Speech Pathology and Audiology. Hajjar, one of the clinical supervisors of the CLS program, continued, “The ehpic training focused on the debrief process as a key element in interprofessional education, and provided concrete strategies and tools for facilitating debrief sessions with students to maximize learning. Starting this semester, I will incorporate more opportunities for students to provide both written and oral reflections of their experiences with other students.” 

Work is underway to continue incorporating interprofessional education throughout the entire educational experience. For example, Capstone instructors are building a case competition in February 2020, which will encourage interprofessional teams of students to generate creative solutions to real-world challenges. HSHP is also in the process of building a patient simulation lab and identifying opportunities for interprofessional practice for students within the lab.

“The topic of this training is particularly timely for Tompkins County, as we prepare to merge the public health and mental health departments,” said Frank Kruppa, public health director, Tompkins County. “We’re bringing multiple disciplines under one department to bring a whole health approach to our community. The skills I’ve learned here — including communication skill building among different disciplines — will help the county as we work toward a single mission and vision.”

Ithaca College’s HSHP offers 16 undergraduate degrees, four graduate degrees and 11 minors. Students focus on helping people lead healthy, satisfying, independent and productive lives. Experiences in and out of the classroom prepare students for their professional roles.