During the COVID-19 pandemic, there was a marked increase in telehealth visits and telehealth will undoubtedly remain an important modality for healthcare delivery. To meet this emerging educational need, Bridget Gramkowski, RN, MS, PNP, from the School of Nursing, Cathi Dennehy, PharmD, from the School of Pharmacy, and Heather Bhide, PT, DPT, NCS, from the Physical Therapy program, were awarded an Academy of Medical Educators Innovations Funding Grant (co-sponsored by PIPE) to create a stand-alone telehealth module for interprofessional students.
The curriculum focused on three elements: interprofessional roles, telehealth competencies, and telehealth’s role in diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). Students from pharmacy, physical therapy, and nursing participated in the asynchronous telehealth training and applied their skills in a collaborative telehealth visit with interprofessional students and a standardized patient. The pilot curriculum was well-received and resulted in improved understanding of interprofessional roles, the role of telehealth in DEI, and the importance of interprofessional communication.
Students appreciated being able to observe the expertise of their interprofessional colleagues in action, both in the visit and in collaborating on the care plan. Callyn Oshita, one of the pharmacy participants, remarked, "I really enjoyed the 'huddle time' after the patient encounter to hear the thoughts from the other practitioners! I was able to learn a lot from what the other disciplines were assessing."
