Learn Alongside Students in Other Health Professions

The need for coordinated care is well recognized by health organizations such as the Institute of Medicine (IOM), Centers for Disease Control (CDC), and the National Institutes of Health (NIH). To address this need WesternU is revolutionizing its curriculum and integrating the education from nine distinct health professions to learn how to collaborate and provide the most effective patient-centered care.

Interprofessional Education (IPE) Case-Based Learning
During the first year of your professional program, you will meet with 9 fellow students plus 1 faculty facilitator during several 3-week sessions, for 2 hours a day. Each group will consist of a diverse mix of students from our nine professional programs--Osteopathic Medicine (DO), Physician Assistant (MSPA), Physical Therapy (DPT), Pharmacy (PharmD), Nursing-Entry (MSN), Veterinary Medicine (DVM), Optometry (OD), Dental Medicine (DMD), and Podiatric Medicine (DPM).

At the beginning of each 3-week session, you will receive a clinical case scenario. Additional case details such as risk factors and environmental concerns will be divulged as the case unfolds. As a team, you will explore the various biological, psychosocial, and relational aspects of the case that might affect your team's diagnosis and recommended treatment of the patient.

The IPE curriculum is case-study based and will grow increasingly advanced as you move through your program. Initial cases in the planned IPE curriculum will concentrate on honing your communication and interpersonal skills, analyzing ethical issues, and developing your understanding of the other professions.

Intermediate and advanced level IPE courses will focus more on the diagnosis and treatment of standardized patients you'll see in the simulation lab, or real-life cases you'll assess in various settings including our Patient Care Center (opening in 2009), community health fairs, and volunteer club events. For more information about WesternU’s IPE initiative please visit the Interprofessional Education webpage.

Pilot Study
To assist in the curriculum design, we conducted a pilot study with students in six of the above programs. The case they received was that of an obese middle-aged man who presented in the emergency room after a fall.

As the case developed, the pilot study teams learned of other patient risk factors, including hyperglycemia, elevated blood pressure, and unhealthy life styles. They also acquired information about the health of other parties in the patient's life including his daughter and their dog. As the case continued to unfold, they discussed the psychosocial issues exacerbating the underlying health issues.

The pilot study was very successful and provided solid data upon which to design the curriculum. You can expect to see a range of cases in the interprofessional curriculum that may include diabetes, arthritis, bird flu, asthma, or hypertension.

Upon graduation we anticipate that you will:

1. know about and respect your colleagues in other disciplines.
2. appreciate the added value of being a member of a diverse health-care team.
3. have the skills and desire to work collaboratively with health professionals from numerous disciplines to better patient health.
4. develop lasting networks with future health professionals from 8 other disciplines.

We believe these skills will enable you to practice more effectively because you will have an extensive professional network to call on as needed. In addition, you will have the wherewithal to confidently and appropriately refer patients. This ultimately benefits your patients because they will receive timely care from the most appropriate health-care providers, thus minimize costs and patient recovery time, and maximize their potential for improvement or full recovery.

As national health-care organizations and employers continue to emphasize the importance of team-based health care, it is likely that your interprofessional training will enhance your employment opportunities. The growing number of elderly with chronic conditions will also make coordinated care even more important over time.