Health Professions Students Share Inter-Professional Activities
Every day they report to their respective Hospital Hill buildings (located literally right next to each another): dental and dental hygiene students to the School of Dentistry, med students to the School of Medicine, pharmacy and nursing students to the Health Sciences Building. Yet, these diverse student bodies rarely, if ever, have an opportunity to get to know one another. That all changed on Feb. 22, 2014, when UMKC hosted its first Inter-professional Education (IPE) event featuring synchronized classes that blended all the Hospital Hill Campus professional programs and buildings. More than 560 UMKC students and 70 faculty and staff members took part in the interprofessional instruction from 3–6 p.m. During the class, preassigned groups of students from seven disciplines — dentistry, dental hygiene, medicine, physician assistant, nursing, graduate nursing, and pharmacy — learned about patient safety and solved problems in small and large groups.
“This initiative is important in developing more collaborative practitioners as the health care environment changes,” said Dr. Marsha Pyle, dean of the UMKC School of Dentistry. “How each profession interacts will be predicated on holistic care, patient outcomes and safety, and increasing teamwork to facilitate those goals. We are pleased with the commitment of all the health professions schools in this endeavor.”
Dr. Michael McCunniff, chair of the Department of Dental Public Health and Behavioural Science, helped measure the outcomes of the event. “Surveys from the students,” he said, “showed that 69 percent agreed or strongly agreed the IPE class was a good experience and that the small group experience was beneficial in understanding other healthcare professionals’ roles and responsibilities. They also reported that they enjoyed working with other healthcare fields and specifically on the impact that IPE can have on patient safety.”
UMKC hosted its second all-school IPE event on Saturday, Sept. 13, 2014, from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. According to Dr. McCunniff, the activities included a round-table exercise that required existing student IMPACTs to work through a patient case together to further develop their roles and practice the ethical delivery of care as a member of a team. Health Professions Students Share Inter-Professional Activities Explorer
2014 Fall Explorer Contents:
- Health Professions Students Share Inter-Professional Activities
- Message from the Dean
- Facility Focus
- School Welcomes New Students
- Bridging American and Japanese Dentistry Since 2000
- Students and KC Royals Team Up with “Team Smile”
- Transitioning into the Profession with White Coats and Scrubs
- Recognizing Faculty and Staff Achievement
- Renovated Seminar Room to be named for Dr. George Muehlebach
- Summer Scholars Present Their Research
- Alums Honored with 2015 UMKC “Alumni Achievement” Awards
- Class Notes
- Honor Roll of Donors
- Scholarship Recognition Dinner Celebrates Generosity and Gratitude
- Class Scholarships Continue to Grow
- Alumni Host San Antonio Reception