Available online 10 April 2024

Author links open overlay panelHighlights•

Interprofessional activities are an important component of nursing education.

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These activities can be challenging for programs with limited resources.

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Virtual activities are an effective way to learn about other disciplines.

AbstractBackground

Interprofessional experiences in healthcare education are essential in achieving high quality outcomes for patients. Facilitating these experiences in rural areas or institutions with fewer resources can be challenging. To overcome these challenges, it is essential to consider alternative formats with outside institutions.

Innovation

Doctor of nursing practice (DNP) faculty at a midwestern university collaborated with departments on campus and across the state to create virtual interprofessional experiences. Students from the DNP program met via Zoom® to participate in virtual simulations with students from other disciplines. Each activity began with a get-to-know-you session before reviewing a patient scenario. The students worked through the simulation in small segments to highlight key considerations of each discipline at various stages of the scenario.

Implications

As healthcare becomes more complex, so do the challenges facing educational programs with limited resources. Innovative, low-cost methods to ensure high quality educational experiences are vital. The methods used in this activity can be used across disciplines and in various settings.

Conclusions

A structured virtual event for healthcare disciplines is an effective means of conducting interprofessional collaboration in the educational setting.

Section snippetsBackground

The ability to collaborate with other healthcare entities requires an understanding of–and respect for–the scope of practice of other professionals. The Interprofessional Education Collaborative (IPEC) was created in 2009 to advance interprofessional education in healthcare (IPEC, 2022). IPEC states, “Interprofessional education occurs when students from two or more professions learn about, from, and with each other to enable effective collaboration and improve health outcomes.” As the

Planning

The interprofessional education events described took place in the Fall of 2020 and Spring of 2021. During this time, COVID precautions were in place and in-person events were discouraged. Therefore, both the AT-DNP and the social work-DNP events were held virtually via Zoom®.

The goals were the same for both activities: to encourage learning ‘about, from, and with’ the other disciplines (IPEC, 2022). This was a framework for the planning of each event. The IPEC identified four key competencies

Results

The initial surveys showed there were some misconceptions about the other disciplines prior to the interprofessional event. These were largely improved following the activity. Students reported they gained a better understanding of the role of the other discipline in healthcare, and in turn were more willing to work with them in the future. Overall, students had very positive comments about the activity and felt it was a great learning experience.

Discussion

While the activities described here were conducted with DNP and other graduate level students, they could be modified for nursing education at all levels including associate degree nursing programs. Shrader et al. (2022) conducted a national survey of multiple levels of educational institutions regarding IPE resources and opportunities. Of the 74 responses, only one was from an associate program. The limited response from associate degree programs suggests IPE resources may be lacking within

Conclusion

Interprofessional education experiences are an important consideration in all levels of nursing education. There are challenges to smaller institutions with limited other disciplines available. It is imperative to consider ways to overcome these challenges. Willingness to reach out to other rural universities and being creative with the format of the experiences can help to meet this need. The processes described here were just a first step in building bigger and better interprofessional

Declaration of competing interest

The authors declare that they have no known competing personal relationships or financial interests that may have influenced the study reported in this paper.

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