Pediatric Hospital-Based Interprofessional Educational Activity for Medical and Nursing Students

Background Interprofessional education, which gives students the opportunity to learn "about, with and from" other health professionals, is an important tool for teaching collaboration on interprofessional teams. While there exists a range of simulation, case-based, or procedure-focused interprofessional education activities for medical and nursing students within pediatrics, these activities do not typically occur in the clinical learning environment while students engage in patient care. ObjectivesWe designed and implemented a novel hospital-based interprofessional education activity for teams of nursing and clerkship medical students within pediatrics. MethodsNursing students demonstrated nursing care activities at the bedside, while medical students explained the dynamics of patient rounds, decoding discipline-specific jargon for one another to promote understanding. The activity concluded with a 1-h debrief led by medical and nursing faculty. At the end of the session, students completed a self-assessment of interprofessional skills, and faculty evaluated student performance. ResultsA total of 45 medical and 42 nursing students participated in the activity and completed the survey between February 2022 and May 2023. Paired sample t-tests showed statistically significant differences (p < 0.001) in self-reported skills relating to communication, collaboration, and role understanding, with improved scores after the activity for both medical and nursing students. Qualitative data was positive and emphasized the importance of the experience. Conclusions This unique in-person, hospital-based interprofessional education activity was effective and well received. By facilitating real-time co-learning in the clinical learning environment, this activity allowed nursing and medical students to gain understanding and appreciation for their colleagues' contributions on interprofessional teams