Clinical Training Event Puts the Emphasis on Interprofessional Education
The health science fields collaborated on an interprofessional learning event centered on Parkinson’s disease.
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This spring, the Departments of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences (SLHS), Nutrition, and Kinesiology came together for a unique clinical training opportunity for their students: an interprofessional learning event centered on Parkinson’s disease (PD).
The event was the brainchild of Lisa Sommers, Clinical Associate Professor and Clinical Director of the Center for Speech, Language, and Hearing, in collaboration with former SLHS faculty member Kelly Richardson, Senior Lecturer Judi LaBranche from Kinesiology, and Lecturer and Dietetic Internship Program Director Christy Maxwell from Nutrition.
“I have a passion for developing and implementing interprofessional education events for students in clinical programs,” says Sommers, who previously developed events with the UMass Elaine Marieb College of Nursing and the Pioneer Valley Interprofessional Practice and Education Collaborative (PV-IPEC) on PD as well as stroke and aphasia, topics that impact multiple disciplines within clinical care. “As a member of PV-IPEC, I’ve seen the value in working alongside other allied health program coordinators to develop meaningful educational events that teach students about the value of interprofessional practice for improving patient care and safety in a variety of clinical settings.”
Health science students frequently go on to careers in clinical settings, whether it be as speech-language pathologists, registered dietitians, or as physical or occupational therapists. All of these clinical careers are likely to work with patients with neurodegenerative diseases such as PD.
Sommers and Richardson both specialize in evaluation, treatment, and research in PD. Their clinical and research work has given them many connections to the PD community in the Pioneer Valley. It was very important to develop the event around the lived experiences of people diagnosed with PD.
In developing this event, Sommers’ goal was to expand the students’ awareness of the complexities of the disease. “I want the students to think outside the lab, classroom, and clinic, and really see what everyday life is like when you are living with PD,” she says. “This will make these future clinicians so much more knowledgeable and compassionate and able to focus beyond just evidence-based techniques to see the whole person.”
“I believe students need as much real-world experience as possible to complement their classroom learning,” says LaBranche, who included the event as part of her Special Populations class. “This opportunity allowed them to learn and work as a care team with the other disciplines as they would in the professional environment. I saw so much student growth and application that exceeds previous teaching methods.”
“Dietitians are an essential part of the healthcare team,” says Maxwell, “but our role is often misunderstood. In healthcare, we know that an interprofessional team approach improves patient care and outcomes, so it’s vital that we as educators provide opportunities for students to learn from other disciplines during their training. We want them to recognize and appreciate each member’s role in patient care. I believe exposing our students to these early collaborations fosters respect for each other and hopefully facilitates meaningful healthcare partnerships in the future.”
Students first took a pre-event survey that focused upon the confidence and knowledge around the topic of PD. The three instructors then shared basic information about the pathophysiology of PD made available by the American Parkinson’s Disease Association (APDA). Recorded lectures on the role of the different disciplines with PD were shared amongst the three groups prior to the event, as well as discussion questions that they could prepare for in advance of the event.
On the day of the event, students gathered in the Campus Center where they were grouped interprofessionally with a mix of kinesiology, speech-language pathology, and nutrition students at each table. Students ate lunch together and participated in discussion groups where they educated each other about their future professions and their roles when working with people with PD.
Hands-on activities provided the different disciplines with experiences of each other’s work. SLP students taught people about different strategies and swallowing exercises recommended for people with PD and walked students through the thickened liquid challenge, which simulates what it’s like to drink the thickening agents people with PD use to overcome swallowing problems. Nutrition students discussed the types of dietary challenges and supplements people with PD might need. Kinesiology students got everyone up and moving, leading everyone through the various physical exercises typically used in PT and OT sessions with people with PD.
One of the competencies for dietetic interns, notes Maxwell, is to function as a member of interdisciplinary teams. “While they are exposed to this in their clinical rotations, it’s often in a passive role,” she says. “This interprofessional educational opportunity allowed students to actively lead peers from outside their disciplines in immersive experiences with a unified goal: caring for those living with PD. They were the instructors, but also the students being exposed to new skills in an equitable learning environment. Of course, the greatest benefit was witnessing the lived experiences of those with PD. It was a powerful event, and hearing their stories provided insight into our students’ roles as future healthcare practitioners.”
The IPE culminated with an expert panel of four community members with PD: Norm Reynolds, Judy Bowerman, Jim Walker, and Doug Adler. The panelists shared their experiences of living with the symptoms of PD and discussed their interactions with various allied health professionals such as speech-language pathologists and physical therapists. They gave a sense of what a typical day was like for them and shared powerful stories about how they actively work to combat their symptoms daily with a regime of exercise, diet, socializing, and medications. They ended their remarks with advice for the students as they embark on clinical careers to always see their patients as individuals and to focus on forming relationships built on trust and respect.
For Bowerman, the event served as an opportunity to "demonstrate by example how differently Parkinson’s can manifest within each person who is diagnosed with PD."
"It’s not just a movement disorder, but one that affects those living with PD systemically," she says. "Hopefully the students came aware of how much is available – exercise programs, various therapies, medical procedures, and pharmacology – at this point in time that can slow down the progression of the disease and (with all things considered) have a good quality of life."
"This was a chance to connect to future health care providers who may be providing services to people with PD," adds Walker. "[It was an opportunity] to give the students a chance to meet real people with PD and see that PD takes many paths and is not the same for everyone. PD is a multifaceted disease that takes a team to treat."
Students and faculty agreed that the panel was mutually beneficial for all parties.
“The panel discussion provided an important contextual learning experience for our students, allowing them to integrate their classroom-based teachings with the lived experiences of our patients,” says Richardson. “This will help to cultivate a culture of empathy and compassion among our future SLPs.”
“The event’s greatest benefit was witnessing the lived experiences of those with PD,” adds Maxwell. “It was a powerful event, and hearing their stories provided insight into our students’ roles as future healthcare practitioners.”
A post-event survey revealed excellent learning outcomes for the students. After participating in the IPE event, the students reported higher confidence ratings across domains, including having a better understanding of the swallowing, mobility, and nutritional challenges for persons with PD, and understanding the evidence-based therapy techniques commonly used to combat the symptoms of PD.
In the anonymous post-event survey, one student reported “this was a great event that made me see beyond the physical limitations of PD. Collaborating with other students enhanced my understanding of PD.” When asked how the event would inform or impact their future practice, one student wrote “the event provided me with a more informed perspective on how to collaborate with other professionals in treating Parkinson's.”
Students also had a chance to comment on what part of the event was most impactful for them. Students largely found the expert panel the most impactful, with comments such as this being representative of their sentiments: “I learned so much from all of the panelists! It was so meaningful and impactful to hear about strategies that they have found to be helpful.”
Sommers notes that her students have expressed a desire to have more of these types of interprofessional educational events with other clinical topics.
“Planning and coordination around the busy academic and clinical requirements of programs is always challenging,” says Sommers, “but clearly, the addition of these events to the curriculum provides students with unique learning opportunities that they value. It was a wonderful experience for the faculty to collaborate and combat the siloing that often can happen in university settings. It was a chance to be creative and connect the university with the community as well.”