Lancaster Physician Winter 2020 - 12

L A N C A S T E R M E D I C A L S O C I E T Y.O R G

Best Practices

Exploring the Value of Interprofessional Education in Health Care

Dr. Kristen Zulkosky, PhD, RN, CNE
Director of the Center for Excellence
in Practice at the Pennsylvania College
of Health Sciences.

Exploring the Value of Interprofessional
Education in Health Care
The Pennsylvania College of Health Sciences paramedic students arrive on the scene after being called by the Lebanon Valley College athletic
training students in the large IPE-sim done once a semester.

KRISTEN ZULKOSKY, PHD, RN, CNE

Director of the Center for Excellence in Practice at the Pennsylvania College of Health Sciences.

he best patient outcome is often the result of the collaborative and communicative efforts among the teams
assembled to care for the individual. However, educating
the next generation of health care professionals to collaborate across disciplines can be difficult, especially if they have
limited opportunities to work with students and practitioners from
other fields prior to entering the workforce.

"Even as an instructor, I have always left the simulation experience
having learned something new that I can incorporate in my interactions
with multiple disciplines. It has given me the opportunity to learn new
skills for better communication with patients and their families."
One of the main reasons IPE simulations aren't commonly practiced
is purely logistical. Whether you're juggling conflicting course schedules
between nursing and respiratory students, or different clinical rotations,
finding several hours where the right combination of individuals is
available can be almost impossible.

Interprofessional education (IPE) simulations are designed to help
fill this gap. They improve collaboration by allowing students across
different specialties-such as nursing, radiography, sonography, and
paramedics-to come together in a safe, productive learning environment.

At Pennsylvania College of Health Sciences, we firmly believe in the
value of interprofessional learning and replicating "real world" dynamics
to achieve the best patient care and outcomes.

IPE simulations have been praised by health care practitioners as a
core component of continuing health care education. However, though
not a new concept, they have historically been underutilized in higher
education and ongoing professional development.

Over time, we've been able to establish buy-in among our partners and
instructors to develop a consistent rhythm of interprofessional activities
for our students. This requires time, ongoing communication around
the value of these simulations, and an open dialogue with students about
how they feel they're benefitting from the programming.

"Interprofessional simulation allows students to learn and practice
the skills that they need to interact in an interdisciplinary team in a very
non-threatening environment," says Dr. Scott DeLong, MD, Geriatric
Medicine, Penn Medicine Lancaster General Health.

LANCASTER

Each semester, the College hosts numerous IPE simulations in partnership with community health organizations and other local colleges. The

PHYSICIAN

Lancaster Physician Winter 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Lancaster Physician Winter 2020