Reenvisioning Interdisciplinary Education: Moving Toward a Holistic Methodology
Theory/Body:
Contemporary healthcare is increasingly dependent upon interdisciplinary communication and coordination. As a result, health education programs, including physical therapy education programs, have progressively emphasized interdisciplinary training. The authors contend that contemporary education warrants a change in our approach to training.
Current education is rooted in medical model thinking that uses experiential methods such as shared classrooms and guest lecturers. These methods fall short in meeting contemporary practice demands. The authors explore the history, challenges, opportunities, and ineffectiveness of traditional interdisciplinary education, and propose the idea of moving to a system utilizing problem identification, counseling, and referral as part of the training. Such techniques have already been successfully used in wellness education. Additionally, the authors ask the educators to consider using spiritual foci, such as shared life experiences as part of this interdisciplinary training.
A shift from the current paradigm toward a wellness model that emphasizes identification, counseling, and spirituality would facilitate improved team dynamics, and conflict resolution, for the benefit of the patient or client.