Medical and Nursing Students’ Perception of Physical Therapists’ Roles in Patient Care: Observations During an Interprofessional Patient Safety Course
Purpose: Healthcare education accrediting bodies require interprofessional education (IPE) to ready students for team-based patient management. There is a dearth in the literature about IPE activities that include physical therapy (PT), nursing (RN), and medical (MD) students. The purpose of this study was to explore perceptions of the roles of physical therapists by RN and MD students during an IPE patient safety course.Methods/Description: 283 students (59 PT, 84 RN, 140 MD), divided into 48 mixed-profession teams, participated in a week-long IPE patient safety course that included simulation-based education (SBE), hands-on learning activities, and lectures. SBE scenarios were scripted to ensure clinical relevance and equal participation for all disciplines within outpatient, acute care, and emergency department settings. Team debriefing post-SBE included mixed professional faculty. Students from all disciplines completed a post course evaluation.Results/Outcomes: Overall course evaluations were favorable: 94% of participants agreed (51%) or strongly agreed (43%) that the course improved teamwork skills. By discipline, results showed 95% of the MD students (55% agree, 40% strongly agree), 88% of the PT students (52% agree, 36% strongly agree), and 94% of the RN students (45% agree, 49% strongly agree) agree that the course improved teamwork skills. RN and MD students were asked: ‘What are the lessons you learned about the PT students?’ Themes included: ‘surprise’ in the diversity and depth of knowledge of PT students, PT students have good communication skills, PTs have a broader scope of practice than most realized, and PTs are an essential part of the team. Quotes reflecting RN students’ sentiments included: “I learned that their training encompassed diverse clinical settings. I was also surprised how much they knew,” “They aren’t just there to help patients walk, but rather play a major role in how patients recover and go on with life after an illness or event,” “They have great advice to give that should definitely be heard and respected.” Quotes from MD students included: “I did not realize how much of an impact PT has in the hospital setting,” “I learned that they are well versed on many areas of medicine as well (i.e. they know pharmacology, EKG, etc.),” “They are vastly underutilized,” “Their training is more comprehensive than simply musculoskeletal,” “They have skills in general medicine (vitals, basic neuro exam, etc.) and learning that made me feel as though I could trust their skills in intense situations if need be.”Conclusions/Relevance to the conference theme: Our Leadership Landscape: Perspectives from the Ground Level to 30,000 Feet: A tri-professional IPE SBE course on patient safety including RN, MD, and PT students is feasible and provides a unique learning opportunity. Inclusion of PT students increased awareness of PT education, training, and scope of practice in most RN and MD students. Future participation of PT in IPE that includes RN and MD students may lead to cultural changes in how other healthcare professionals perceive and collaborate with PTs.References: 1. Fleming-McDonnell D, Czuppon S, Deusinger SS, Deusinger RH. Physical therapy in the emergency department: development of a novel practice venue. Phys Ther. 2010;90(3):420-426. 2. Talley CL, Wonnacott RO, Schuette JK, Jamieson J, Heung M. Extending the benefits of early mobility to critically ill patients undergoing continuous renal replacement therapy: The Michigan experience. Crit Care Nurs Q. 2013;36:89-100. 3. Titsworth WL, Hester J, Correia T, et al. The effect of increased mobility on morbidity in the neurointensive care unit. J Neurosurg. 2012;116:1379-1388. 4. Fruth SJ, Wiley S. Physician impressions of physical therapist practice in the emergency department: descriptive, comparative analysis over time. Phys Ther. 2016;96(9):1333-1341. 5. Clark DE, Lowman JD, Griffin RL, Matthews HM, Reiff DA. Effectiveness of an early mobilization protocol in a trauma and burns intensive care unit: a retrospective cohort study. Phys Ther. 2012;93:186-196. 6. Dennis D, Furness A, Duggan R, Critchett S. An interprofessional simulation-based learning activity for nursing and physiotherapy students. Clin Simul Nurs. 2017;13:501-510. 7. Interprofessional Educational Collaborative. Core Competencies for Interprofessional Collaborative Practice: 2016 Update. Washington, DC. Interprofessional Education Collaborative. 2016.