Updated: January 11, 2021

ACAPT's National Interprofessional Education Consortium (NIPEC) recommends reading this article.  If you're interested in IPE, individual members of ACAPT member institutions can join NIPEC for free.

An interprofessional teaching approach for medical and physical therapy students to learn functional anatomy and clinical examination of the lower spine and hip

This study presents a model that brings together an interprofessional team of experts to teach functional and clinical anatomy of the lower spine and hip area to medical and physical therapy students. Two groups of medical students (n=60) and physical therapy students (n=77) were designated to two interprofessional clusters, with each cluster of students participating in three workshops, each lasting 40min. Workshops were guided by university anatomists, an orthopedic physician and physical therapists, and each provided. Study results demonstrated an increase in subject-specific competencies in functional and clinical anatomy of the lower spine and hip. Sub-question analyses showed that students learned from each other as well as from an interprofessional team of guiding experts/instructors, though mostly from the latter.

Implications

This course offers an appropriate and effective model that brings together an interprofessional team of experts to teach functional and clinical anatomy to medical and physical therapy students. All students learned from the exchange with interprofessional group members as well as the instructors.

Reference

González Blum C, Richter R, Fuchs R, Sandeck F, Heermann S. An interprofessional teaching approach for medical and physical therapy students to learn functional anatomy and clinical examination of the lower spine and hip. Ann Anat. 2020. doi: 10.1016/j.aanat.2020.151534. Epub 2020 May 23. PMID: 32450130.

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December 2020

Standardized patient experience can assist in communicating professional roles and improving perceptions of IPE, according to a recently published paper:

Student Perceptions of a Live Standardized Patient Interprofessional Education Scenario: A Multi-Year Study

A qualitative study examined perceptions of interprofessional education (IPE) and professional roles following a standardized patient experience in physical therapy and occupational therapy educational programs.

In this study, the perceptions of 100 occupation therapy (51 second year) and physical therapy (49 third year) students were measured before and after participation in standardized patient experience that included:

• small group interdisciplinary case work,
• faculty-led discussion, and
• a simulated patient case.

The main themes identified were:

• student outcomes (subthemes: scope of practice, team collaboration and communication); and
• IPE design (subthemes: composition of the team, amount of time for experience and curricular sequence).

Implications
Standardized patient experience using a simulated patient case can assist in communicating professional roles and improving perceptions of IPE. 

Reference
Edwards Collins ME, Bell CS, Migliarese SJ, Smith N, Allison LK, Bethea DP, Darby R, Conner TA. Student Perceptions of a Live Standardized Patient Interprofessional Education Scenario: A Multi-Year Study. J Allied Health. 2020 Spring;49(1):8-13. PMID: 32128533.