An interprofessional diabetes experience to improve pharmacy and nursing students' competency in collaborative practice

Abstract

Objective. To improve pharmacy and nursing students' competency in collaborative practice by having them participate in an interprofessional diabetes experience involving social networking. Design. An existing elective course on diabetes management was modified to include interprofessional content based on Interprofessional Education Collaborative (IPEC) competency domains. Web-based collaborative tools (social networking and video chat) were used to allow nursing and pharmacy students located on 2 different campuses to apply diabetes management content as an interprofessional team. Assessment. Mixed-method analyses demonstrated an increase in students' knowledge of the roles and responsibilities of the other profession and developed an understanding of interprofessional communication strategies and their central role in effective teamwork. Conclusion. Interprofessional content and activities can be effectively integrated into an existing course and offered successfully to students from other professional programs and on remote campuses.