“From the Field: Student Experiences Changing Perceptions after Involvement in the Development of an Interprofessional Training Program

Abstract

Interprofessional education was a new term to me when I entered the beginning of my PGY1/PGY2/MS Pharmacy Administration residency at the Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center in Houston, Texas. Hav-ing an interest in outpatient ambulatory care services and pharmacy administration, I had the unique op-portunity to be involved in the implementation of an interprofessional training program called the Center of Excellence in Primary Care Education (CoEPCE). The purpose of the CoEPCE is to teach the next generation of healthcare professions to work in, lead, and improve patient-centered team based care. This program in-cludes medical residents, nurse practitioner residents, pharmacy residents, psychology fellows, and nursing students that operate a primary care clinic in addition to participating in longitudinal requirements. These requirements include weekly interprofessional didactic sessions, quality improvement initiatives, and elective rotations. As a new graduate, this was a great opportunity for me to learn from other professions as well as broaden my clinical knowledge. While working with the CoEPCE administration and faculty, I saw the building and development of an interprofessional program and utilized this experience towards requirements for my Master's degree in Pharmacy Leadership and Admin-istration at the University of Houston. The knowledge I gained I feel will benefit other students, post-grad-uates, and practitioners who work in an interprofes-sional capacity to be more collaborative and appreciate the strengths and perspectives of all members of the healthcare team.