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The Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) developed a Presidential Scholars Program (PSP) in order to foster interprofessional collaboration among students from the different health professions on campus. Now in its seventh year, the program provides approximately 40 selected students each year from six different colleges with a two-semester interprofessional educational experience. Students work in small interprofessional teams on a project designed to address a broad-based health care issue; they also participate in other structured educational sessions throughout the year.

Successful transition of students to competent work-ready health professionals requires an ability to work in health care teams. Poor communication and teamwork practice has been implicated as a contributing source of error affecting patient safety. Traditional university curriculum structures severely limit the time that students from different professions can spend together, learning about and from each other (interprofessional education [IPE]). IPE initiatives need to focus on whole-of-system impacts and organisational sustainability.

Interprofessional working is an important NHS policy aim (Department of Health 2000; Barrett et al 2005), which has meant that interprofessional education (IPE) is an increasingly important topic for higher education institutions (Caldwell and Atwal, 2003; Barr and Ross, 2006). The argument for IPE is based on the assumption that it will enhance interprofessional working and assist in ameliorating many of the challenges of contemporary health-care. However, there is a dearth of evidence of the effectiveness of IPE in the UK, particularly at undergraduate level.

PubMed URL: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19842956

This article describes how a system of interprofessional learning was established and developed. It gives practical tips on implementation and some short case studies demonstrating how students have benefited from this approach.

PubMed URL: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19950458

PubMed URL: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20602592

PubMed URL: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19995270

CONTEXT: Current trends in medical education reflect the changing health care environment. An increasingly large and diverse student population, a move to more distributed models of education, greater community involvement and an emphasis on social accountability, interprofessional education and student-centred approaches to learning necessitate new approaches to faculty development to help faculty members respond effectively to this rapidly changing landscape.

This column shares the lived experiences of four Master Trainers who used storytelling as the methodology for teaching TeamSTEPPS to interprofessional staff members of a large health system. TeamSTEPPS is an evidence-based program that focuses on skills and behaviors that improve teamwork and communication, which are key to preventing medical errors.

Copyright 2010, SLACK Incorporated.

PubMed URL: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21053802

As more educators are involved in interprofessional education (IPE) it is important to consider how participation affects those who are sceptical about IPE. We report a prospective study in which the attitudes of 13 educators, unfamiliar with IPE, were compared before and after facilitating their first IPE. Their views, obtained as personal stories, were analysed through cognitive dissonance theory. Prior to teaching, all novice educators had concerns about IPE. Post-facilitation all were more positive about the value and meaning of IPE.