Leveraging Interprofessional Education to Improve Physician/Laboratory Cooperation and Patient Outcomes

Abstract

Pathology and laboratory medicine are integral parts of the healthcare team. While this fact is uncontested, efforts to integrate medical laboratory science (MLS) students into interprofessional education (IPE) activities with medical students have been scarce. We contend here that now is the optimal time to explore IPE with medical and MLS students and that doing so will provide significant benefits to students as well as their future patients. Neglecting to capitalize on this opportunity will result in continued interprofessional barriers.