Coming from vastly different educational backgrounds, each of us was motivated to participate in CLARION for different and individualized reasons. Whether it was the draw of working on an interprofessional team or an opportunity to sharpen presentation skills, we had high expectations for what the experience could offer. As we reflect on our participation, it appears that our gains have greatly surpassed these expectations. Here, we give the reader a taste of how we feel this experience has shaped our education and future careers in health care.
CLARION developed our patient safety awareness
Our interprofessional student team performed a root cause analysis on a fictionalized sentinel event and provided recommendations to a panel of patient safety experts. Our experience deepened our engagement with the concepts of patient-centered care and patient safety. We learned how important it is for health care teams to communicate and to consider the intersections between each aspect of patient care. CLARION reinforced our shared values, but also helped us appreciate how our differences will strengthen our delivery of safe patient-centered care.
CLARION increased our understanding of other health professions
To approach our sentinel event appropriately, our analysis required input from multiple perspectives. CLARION gave us a unique opportunity to learn from each other. Medicine and Pharmacy brought a clinical perspective while Administration contributed an understanding of systems improvement. Our interprofessional engagement enabled us to understand the case with increasing sophistication. Additionally, we made contacts with faculty and other health professionals who imparted a sense of how our fictional case applied to authentic settings. We would have neither been able to disentangle our case, nor accurately determine solutions, if each of us worked solely within our own profession. As a result, our team more fully understands the potential of collaborative models in health care.
CLARION improved our critical thinking skills
Learning root cause analysis was an important component of CLARION. This process gave us a formal mechanism to identify the underlying causes of a complex systems problem. Our collaborative analysis included deep, structured questioning, sound reasoning to establish a course of action, and a consideration of constraints. Through our analysis, it became clear there were systems problems that undermined patient safety. Individual players were well intentioned, but they failed the patient because of inadequate communication. They did not recognize the larger context of their actions. By utilizing the skills we advanced through CLARION, we formed solutions that were both immediate and standardized, and long term and durable. The critical thinking skills we developed will undoubtedly hold value in our futures.
CLARION deepened our teamwork skills
Our interprofessional team learned the value of trust. We shared a common value of caring about patient safety; this facilitated our communication when we had disagreements. In our discussions, we continually considered each team member’s opinion to build consensus around the many aspects of our presentation. Although our time commitment to CLARION was substantial, we stayed organized by regularly scheduling meetings and completing component tasks. Throughout the project, we were open about our strengths and weaknesses. We combined our talents and tapped into the knowledge of faculty and other health professionals to develop relevant competencies and enduring relationships. We also learned to take the time to pause and reflect, because we recognize our actions are what will influence safety and patient care in the future.
CLARION will impart durable value on our education and careers
CLARION gave us a foundation to become better team players, communicators, and critical thinkers. As we move forward in our education, we will not only consider our respective curriculum, but also the perspectives of other disciplines and the impact of health care delivery from a systems level. Patient safety has been firmly embedded in our approach to learning. Furthermore, when we begin as health care professionals, we will be better equipped to think clearly, function in interprofessional teams, and ultimately deliver our best possible care to our patients.
Contributers: Alanna White, Jessica Oetting, Travis Sherman
The Center has made great strides in its first year. The Advisory Council has established interprofessional education learning outcomes and a process for interprofessional endorsement of courses and other learning experiences. We have endorsed our first course, Health Promotion for Self and Others, and have a long queue of courses and other offerings seeking endorsement. We will introduce the Center and interprofessional education to matriculating AHC students this fall through a student video sharing their enthusiasm for interprofessional experiences. Interprofessional Grand Rounds will begin this fall for students, residents, faculty and staff. Online resources for TeamSTEPPS training and a CLARION case study are in development for use this fall. The Center has participated in grant proposals that will be supporting future endeavors in interprofessional education including our simulated Disaster Response experience.
