IPE Program Teaches Importance of Collaborative Care

August 31, 2016

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Just as it takes a village to raise a child, it often takes a team of healthcare professionals to treat a patient. Students preparing to work in the medical field must also be prepared to work collaboratively with other healthcare professionals for the benefit of their patients. Georgia Campus – Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (GA-PCOM)’s Interprofessional Education (IPE) program seeks to teach future physicians, pharmacists, and physician assistants the importance of effectively communicating and working together to manage their patients’ condition.

Required for students in the College’s osteopathic medicine, pharmacy, and physician assistant studies programs, the IPE curriculum assigns students to teams where they must work together across disciplines and even campuses to complete assignments and participate in activities. The group dynamic encourages communication so students learn to perform in various team roles to effectively administer patient centered-care.

An elderly woman who breaks a hip and needs replacement surgery, for example, will likely receive care from physician assistants and nurse practitioners, therapy from physical and occupational therapists, and medications from a pharmacist, in addition to treatment from her physician or surgeon. This is the scenario that the panel of healthcare professionals led students through recently, which kicked off a group exercise and this year’s IPE program for first year DO, PharmD and PA students.

The panelists included Shaun Brennan, PT, from Benchmark Physical Therapy; Mark Darrow, MD, from Gwinnett Medical Center; Juli Dyer, BSN, MS, APRN, NP-C, from The Longstreet Clinic, PC; Edo-Abasi McGee, PharmD, BCPS, and Assistant Professor of Pharmacy Practice in the PCOM School of Pharmacy; Michael Sampson, DO, FAOASM, Interim Assistant Dean for Clinical Integration and Associate Professor of Family Medicine at GA-PCOM; Rebekah Thomas, PharmD, PA-C, BCPS, BC-ADM, and Interim Assistant Program Director for the Department of Physician Assistant Studies at GA-PCOM; Melissa Thurlow, OTR/L, CHT, MBA and Director of Occupational Therapy at Peachtree Orthopedic Physical Therapy; and Julie Wickman, PharmD, Assistant Dean for Experiential Education and Associate Professor of Pharmacy Practice in the PCOM School of Pharmacy..

Each member of the panel discussed their respective role when treating a patient in the scenario above, giving students a perspective on interprofessional approaches to patient care. The panel stressed that collaborating on treatments with other healthcare professionals minimizes the consequences of miscommunication and maximizes effective patient care. By working within their IPE groups and discussing professional, ethical, and cultural issues in healthcare, students will be better prepared to work within team environments after graduation.

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