Saint Louis University: Clinical Practicum
Member since: July 2016
Intervention: Clinical Practicum: Preparing undergraduate senior health professions students to be collaboration ready in clinical settings
Partners:
- Saint Louis University Center for Interprofessional Education and Research
- Saint Louis University School of Nursing
- Saint Louis University Doisy College of Health Sciences
- 20 clinical sites in the St. Louis metro area
Occupations represented: Students and professionals from nursing, physical therapy, athletic training, occupational therapy, magnetic resonance imaging, radiation therapeutics, nuclear medicine technology, nutrition and dietetics, and pre-medical students.
Overview: This practicum gives students the opportunity to integrate classroom learning into clinical settings, working directly on using team approaches to improve patient outcomes. During the semester-long course, students participate in two separate 4-week clinical placements. They have the opportunity to interview providers, staff, patients and caregivers about experiences with team-based care. Twenty clinical sites participate, including hospitals, healthcare organizations, and community-based services in the St. Louis metro area. These sites utilize interprofessional teams to provide individual patient care. Students gain experience in how different interprofessional teams function as well as the environmental and personal attributes that contribute to effective teams and improved patient outcomes.
Student outcome data are collected from project workplans, critical reflections, and a pre/post self assessements. Agency satisfaction is captured using a custom survey instrument.
Intervention study question:
- Does a team-based clinical practicum experience improve students’ skills and competencies in interprofessional collaboration to provide individual patient care?