(64) Addressing barriers to student integration into interprofessional patient care experiences during practice experiences

Objective : Interprofessional education is required in pharmacy education with a goal of having “all students competently participate as a healthcare team member in providing direct patient care and engaging in shared therapeutic decision-making.” Experiential sites differ in types of interprofessional experiences available, and barriers exist to incorporating students into these experiences. A preceptor survey was delivered to identify barriers in integrating students into interprofessional collaboration during practice experiences.

Methods: A survey was given to faculty and non-faculty preceptors within a College of Pharmacy to identify if interprofessional activities were offered at their sites, how the students were integrated in these activities, and barriers that existed in integrating students into interprofessional education and collaboration. Majority of questions were multiple choice response with one open ended question regarding factors that influence the student’s participation in interprofessional activities.

Results: The survey was sent to 672 preceptors with 251 responding (37%). 85.5% of respondents agreed or strongly agreed that students learn about, from, and with other healthcare professionals during the practice experience. When asked if students provided direct patient care and shared in therapeutic decision making with a team, 76.7% of respondents agreed or strongly agreed. When asked about the students’ role on the interprofessional team, 31.2% responded that students were fully integrated, 50% of respondents stated students were actively participating. Open-ended responses showed that the most frequent factors that affect a student’s integration into interprofessional activities are clinical knowledge, followed by clinical site opportunities and communication abilities.

Conclusions: Experiential training sites offer varied interprofessional exposure. There are barriers and facilitators to this integration. Identifying existing barriers and facilitators will assist experiential staff in recognizing ways to improve interprofessional integration in practice experiences.