Together, Health Professions Offer Exceptional Collaborative, Interdisciplinary Experience for Students

The University’s Mylan School of Pharmacy, Rangos School of Health Sciences and School of Nursing will join forces at the third annual Interprofessional Education (IPE) workshop to host an exceptional opportunity for students in different disciplines to work together and learn from each other, for the benefit of the patient.

“It is critical for health care professionals to know and understand how to work together in order to maximize patient outcomes,” said Dr. Mikael D.Z. Kimelman, associate professor and chair of the Department of Speech-Language Pathology.

Ten faculty members from eight different disciplines—athletic training, health management systems, nursing, occupational therapy, pharmacy, physical therapy, physician assistant and speech-language pathology—will facilitate the workshop.

On March 12, 19 and 25, more than 400 Duquesne students will interact with a real-life patient and his family, and ask questions developed within interdisciplinary small groups. The groups will develop a patient plan of care with specific attention to each discipline’s role as they would in a collaborative clinical practice after graduating.

“What sets our workshop apart from many other efforts nationwide is the inclusion of a real patient and his family,” said Dr. Sarah Wallace, assistant professor in the Department of Speech-Language Pathology, who helps to arrange the patient and family interaction for students. “In talking with other universities, few of them are able to include as many different disciplines as we do.”

Because of the many professions included and the rare experience with a patient, the workshop is being examined as a possible model for other institutions—all with the goal of improving patient outcomes, said Kimelman.

“Hearing from the various disciplines allows the students to better see the patient as a whole person rather than just a single disorder,” said Wallace.

For more information, contact Dr. Sarah E. Wallace at 412.396.4219.