Inter-Action: Jefferson Creates New Center for InterProfessional Education
Thomas
Jefferson University has announced the creation of the Jefferson Center
for InterProfessional Education. This new center, one of only a few in
the nation, is dedicated to improving patient care through
coordination, implementation and evaluation of a team-based education
curriculum. This curriculum will include medical, nursing, occupational
therapy, physical therapy and pharmacy students, as well as physicians
receiving advanced residency and fellowship training at Thomas
Jefferson University Hospital. Christine Arenson, M.D., director of the
Division of Geriatric Medicine in the Department of Family and
Community Medicine at Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson
University and Molly Rose, F.N.P., Ph.D., professor in the School of
Nursing will serve as co-directors of the new center.
“This
is the future of medical education in this country,” said Robert L.
Barchi, M.D., Ph.D, President of Thomas Jefferson University.
“Fostering interaction and education across disciplines is imperative
to providing patients with the best possible care. I am very pleased
that Jefferson will be at the forefront of this evolution of healthcare
education.”
The curriculum brings students from varying disciplines together in teams from the very beginning of their education. Clinical
team-based simulations are also incorporated into the new teaching model.
The
major component of the initial rollout will be the Jeff Health Mentors
program. This unique program pairs two medical students, a nursing
student and an occupational/physical therapy student with a chronically
ill patient who will mentor the students on living with and treating
their various ailments. Every medical, nursing, occupational therapy
and physical therapy student matriculating at Jefferson will
participate in this required curriculum. Beginning in fall 2008,
pharmacy and public health students will also be involved.
“This
is a twist, a reversal, of the typical doctor-patient relationship,”
said Arenson. “Usually a patient comes in and a doctor or other health
care professional cares for them. This program is the opposite.
Patients will teach our students, assembled in interdisciplinary teams,
about living with their chronic illness. Patients with different
ailments like cancer, heart problems, arthritis, diabetes, and asthma
will describe their experiences living with the chronic medical
conditions, what works to treat them, and in some cases what doesn’t
work. These days it takes a well coordinated team to properly care for
the rapidly aging population. We believe the best model for teaching
future doctors, nurses and therapists is to learn first hand from the
patients they will be caring for in the future.”
The
interprofessional teams will meet with patients eight times over two
years. At the first meeting students will learn about their patient
mentors as people. Students have been surprised at the rich and varied
lives led by people managing multiple, sometimes quite serious, chronic
illnesses. Subsequent meetings include completing a comprehensive
health history as a team, discussing health care system issues and
learning from their patient mentors about professionalism – that is,
what do patients need and expect from their health professionals. The
students meet throughout the year with faculty advisors to discuss what
they have learned from their mentors and their teammates. Throughout
the two year curriculum reflection papers and formal and informal
presentations will be used to assess what students have learned and to
allow students to share with each other. All of the disciplines are
brought together at least twice a year in the classroom setting to
share lessons learned and further develop specific team skills. A
chronic illness perceptions and interprofessional attitudes student
survey developed at Jefferson will provide an ongoing evaluation tool
to assess the effectiveness of this unique curriculum.
“The current state of affairs in medical education has doctors and
nurses working together, but they have never met each other during
their respective years in training,” said Arenson. “This sometimes
leads to a culture of blame, an “us vs. them” mentality that we want to
eradicate to the benefit of both the patients and the students. We
think by fostering a team-based learning experience we can change
perspectives on roles in the real world.”
In
addition to being director of the Division of Geriatric Medicine in the
Department of Family and Community Medicine at Jefferson Medical
College, Dr. Arenson is also an associate professor in the Department
of Family and Community Medicine. Her additional interests include
community-based partnerships to provide comprehensive services to
low-income seniors, and improving self-management skills among African
American elders.
In
her position with the School of Nursing, Dr. Rose has worked on chronic
disease management groups and directs the Community Health Nursing
masters program. Dr. Rose’s research interests include health promotion
and disease prevention specifically, HIV/AIDS, in the elderly and
women.
Other institutions offering varied degrees of comprehensive interprofessional education in the United States are: the University
of Washington, the University of Minnesota, Creighton University and St. Louis University.
Media Only Contact:
Richard Cushman
Thomas Jefferson University Hospital
Phone: (215) 955-6300
Published: 1/24/2008