INTERPROFESSIONAL COLLABORATIVE TEACHING of PATIENT TRANSFERS BY DOCTORAL PHYSICAL THERAPY STUDENTS to FIRST YEAR NURSING STUDENTS
Purpose: To evaluate the perceptions of first-year nursing students comfort level in providing safe and correct transfers and ambulation training with patients before and after training by physical therapy(DPT) students.Methods/Description: SUBJECTS:First-year DPT students/professors instructed first-year Bachelor of Nursing students at a four-year university.METHODS:This study involved a retrospective analysis of data collected on the day the information was presented.The proposal was approved by the IRB as an exempt project.Nursing students completed a 5-point Likert scale self-assessment of transfer proficiency prior to transfer training by DPT students.Subjects were trained at 4 stations:1) bed transfers,2) wheelchair (WC) transfers,3) patient ambulation with cane or walker,and 4) sit to stand transfers.Demonstration and verbal instructions were given one time to nursing students.Nursing students then performed transfers with supervision of 7-DPT students and 1-professor per station.Time was limited to 22 minutes/station.Following completion of all stations, each nursing student completed the post self-assessment.DATA ANALYSIS:Data was analyzed using paired t-tests with the Bonferroni correction factor, with statistical significance set at p<0.05(SPSS,v. 22).Results/Outcomes: Forty three(3 M, 40 F) first year Bachelor of Nursing school students(ages 19-37 years;mean 22.4 years) participated.Twenty eight first year DPT students(19 F, 9 M) between the ages of 21-46 (mean 23.5 years) taught the nursing students.Paired t-tests demonstrated significant changes (p<0.01) in nursing students self-performance assessment of their transfer ability, when performing bed transfers, WC transfers, ambulation with cane/ walker, and sit to stand transfers (p<0.01).Mean scores for four transfers follows:1) Bed- Prior: 3.83(1.06), Bed –Post: 4.90 (0.29); 2) WC-Prior: 4.28 (0.77), WC Post: 5.00 (0.00); Ambulation-Prior: 4.18(0.79), Ambulation –Post: 5.00 (0.00); Sit to stand-Prior: 4.27(0.77), Sit to stand Post: 4.97 (0.15). No difference in scores existed based upon experience as a Certified Nursing Aide(CNA) or those without experience, although only 11 nursing students had prior experience as a CNA.Interesting, although not part of this investigation, all nursing students passed their nursing practical exams on transfers following the instruction provided by DPT students.Conclusions/Relevance to the conference theme: Our Leadership Landscape: Perspectives from the Ground Level to 30,000 Feet: DPT programs collaborating with nursing programs can effectively increase the comfort level and expertise of nursing students with training of transfer and ambulation skills.Bachelor of nursing students’ comfort level with transfers improved in all areas regardless of the experience level of the student.CLINICAL RELEVANCE:Physical therapy students and professors are encouraged to seek opportunities to promote interprofessional collaboration between health care fields, especially with transfer training to nursing students.Students benefit from teaching their future colleagues as interdisciplinary collaborative care of patients is encouraged.References: 1. Bridges DR, Davidson RA, Odegard PS, et al. Interprofessional collaboration: three best practice models of interprofessional education. Med Educ Online.2011;Apr 8. doi: 10.3402/meo.v16i0.6035 2. Avrech BM, Katz LM, Warshawski S, Itzhaki M. The role of personal resilience and personality traits of healthcare students on their attitudes towards interprofessional collaboration. Nurse Educ Today.2018; Feb.61:36-42. doi: 10.1016/j.nedt.2017.11.005. Epub 2017 Nov 15. 3. Sullivan M, Kiovsky R. Mason D, et al. Interprofessional Collaboration and Education. Am J Nurs. 2015;115(3):47-54. 4. Robson M, Kitchen SS. Exploring physiotherapy students’ experiences of interprofessional collaboration in the clinical setting: a critical incident study. J Interprof Care. 2007;21(1):95-109. 5. Solomon P.Inter-professional collaboration: passing fad or way of the future? Physiother Can.2010; 2(1):47-55. 6. McCalin A, McCalin M. Factors influencing team working and strategies to facilitate successful collaborative teamwork. J Physiother. 2009;37(2):61-67.