Fall prevention with community dwelling seniors: A student interprofessional experiential learning activity

Purpose: This IPE curricular model was designed for PT and OT students to learn from one another about the role and effective collaboration between disciplines through the delivery of an evidenced based falls prevention program. The activity allowed students to utilize clinical skills learned in the classroom to deliver patient centered care to seniors.

Background: Traditionally, students do not get an opportunity to see interprofessional care until they participate in full-time clinical experiences. The benefits of early experiential learning during the didactic portion of a program, along with interprofessional education, are becoming more prominent in the literature.

Description of Program: PT and OT students participated in delivering an 8 week falls prevention clinic. The program included participation in an exercise program and educational group process, as recommended by the CDC for multifactorial falls prevention programs. Faculty facilitated the students’ delivery of the program and guided questions to provoke conversation related to interprofessionalism, collaborative practice, professional identity and patient centered care.

Preliminary Results: Students reported that it was beneficial for them to see how each discipline approached patient care, through interactions and education, as well as ‘put together’ the skills they were learning in the classroom. The participants reported that they enjoyed working with students; helping them to learn, having someone to guide them with exercise and provide them with feedback.

Relevance to IPE: This pilot activity proved to be valuable from all perspectives; faculty, student and participant. It was a non-simulated experiential learning activity that assisted students in developing respect and relationships between disciplines.

Recommendations: While this pilot activity met the established objectives, more structure related to enhancing the interprofessional education components is recommended in future implementation of this program.

Learning Objectives (relate most to Conference Learning Objective #5):

1. Participants will identify the components of how to structure an IPE program to incorporate the learning of OT and PT students within a graduate curriculum.
2. Participants will acknowledge the learned positive features of implementing a pilot, semester long IPE program and recommendations for future implementation.
3. Participants will discuss the benefits of providing an interdisciplinary community based program and methods to incorporate this curricular model into their own setting.