Overcoming Barriers to Interprofessional Education through Legislative Reform: A Colorado Case Study
Start Date
10-29-2016 3:15 PM
End Date
10-29-2016 4:15 PM
Description
Purpose: Allow pharmacy interns to participate fully in patient care activities when led by any member of the interprofessional health care team.
Background: Pharmacy is the only health profession requiring student licensure (intern). Colorado statute required a licensed pharmacist to supervise interns while engaging in the practice of pharmacy, thus necessitating one to be present for each Interprofessional (IP) clinical experience.
Description of Intervention: Between 2010-2012 we identified stakeholders and engaged potential collaborators (other pharmacy and health professions schools, state board of pharmacy, Colorado Pharmacists Society, practitioners, and the public) to establish the need to change the law to expand quality IP opportunities for pharmacy students. We changed the law in 2012 and rules were drawn in 2013. We began to offer IP 4th year rotations in 2014 and pharmacy students reported their daily tasks during weeks 2 & 5 of their rotations.
Results: The law allowed 12 health professions with overlap in scope of practice to supervise pharmacy students engaged in the practice of pharmacy. New advanced clinical training experiences were developed by primary care physicians, and more clinical pharmacy experiences were created at safety net clinics (40) and retail-community health centers (32); expanding IP elective rotations (10). Students at the primary care sites reported an average of 10.55 direct patient encounters (seeing patients, follow-up communications) per day; up to 28.1 indirect patient encounters (reviewing patient charts) and 3.5 non-patient care activities (time engaged with preceptor). Further breakdown of activities will be provided.
Conclusion: Changing law allowed more pharmacy students to contribute to IP patient care practices.
Relevance: Addressing legal barriers to IP clinical education legislatively is possible and may be necessary to support health professions students in their requirements to learn in new team-based care delivery models.
Learning objectives:
1) Describe legislative and educational options for dealing with IP clinical challenges
2) Identify IP clinical experiences in which the scope of practice of two or more health professions overlap
Included in
Overcoming Barriers to Interprofessional Education through Legislative Reform: A Colorado Case Study
Purpose: Allow pharmacy interns to participate fully in patient care activities when led by any member of the interprofessional health care team.
Background: Pharmacy is the only health profession requiring student licensure (intern). Colorado statute required a licensed pharmacist to supervise interns while engaging in the practice of pharmacy, thus necessitating one to be present for each Interprofessional (IP) clinical experience.
Description of Intervention: Between 2010-2012 we identified stakeholders and engaged potential collaborators (other pharmacy and health professions schools, state board of pharmacy, Colorado Pharmacists Society, practitioners, and the public) to establish the need to change the law to expand quality IP opportunities for pharmacy students. We changed the law in 2012 and rules were drawn in 2013. We began to offer IP 4th year rotations in 2014 and pharmacy students reported their daily tasks during weeks 2 & 5 of their rotations.
Results: The law allowed 12 health professions with overlap in scope of practice to supervise pharmacy students engaged in the practice of pharmacy. New advanced clinical training experiences were developed by primary care physicians, and more clinical pharmacy experiences were created at safety net clinics (40) and retail-community health centers (32); expanding IP elective rotations (10). Students at the primary care sites reported an average of 10.55 direct patient encounters (seeing patients, follow-up communications) per day; up to 28.1 indirect patient encounters (reviewing patient charts) and 3.5 non-patient care activities (time engaged with preceptor). Further breakdown of activities will be provided.
Conclusion: Changing law allowed more pharmacy students to contribute to IP patient care practices.
Relevance: Addressing legal barriers to IP clinical education legislatively is possible and may be necessary to support health professions students in their requirements to learn in new team-based care delivery models.
Learning objectives:
1) Describe legislative and educational options for dealing with IP clinical challenges
2) Identify IP clinical experiences in which the scope of practice of two or more health professions overlap