Building an Innovative, Integrated, Interprofessional Longitudinal CurriculumSusan P. Bruce, PharmD, BCPS, Seth P. Brownlee, PharmD, Sharon K. Hull, MD, MPH, John D. Sutton, MD

Northeastern Ohio Universities Colleges of Medicine and Pharmacy, Rootstown, OH

Interprofessional education is essential for health professions educators to prepare future practitioners.1 This report describes the structure, successes and challenges of implementing an innovative, integrated curriculum bridging pharmacy and medicine.

OBJECTIVES

IMPLICATIONSThis model provides numerous scholarship opportunities. Dissemination of our findings has occurred and will continue with increased experience.

REFERENCES1. Greiner AC, Knebel E (Eds.) Health professions education: a bridge

to quality. Institute of Medicine, 2003.2. Bruce, SP, McGory RM, Hull SK, Sutton JD. IMPACTS Project:

Interprofessional Medicine and Pharmacy students Addressing Community health Through Service. Presented at the 2009 AACP Annual Meeting.

3. Ulbrich TR, Sutton JD, McEwen HA, et al. The Heart Disease Group Project (HDGP): A Longitudinal, Team-Based, Self-Study Case Using Interprofessional Teams. Presented at the 2010 AACP Annual Meeting.

BACKGROUND

LONGITUDINAL CURRICULAR THEMES

Service

Professional IdentityProfessionalism

Population Health

Patient Care

Longitudinal Curriculum

FUTURE DIRECTIONInitiatives underway to continue building the interprofessional curriculum include: Structuring student assessment around the IOM

competencies for health professions education Articulating a framework that clearly communicates the

complexities of the longitudinal curriculum Transitioning the existing Evidence Based Medicine course

to an interprofessional course Pursuing vertical/horizontal integration opportunities with

the basic sciences courses Developing interprofessional skills assessments

IMPACTS Project2

Years 1-2 (duration 18 months) Interprofessional Medicine and Pharmacy students

Addressing Community health Through Service Longitudinal interprofessional team based project whereby

students identify a health related issue affecting their assigned community and proposed an evidence-based mechanism to overcome the issue

Incorporated competencies: population health, evidence-based medicine, practice based learning, communication skills, interprofessional teamwork and professionalism

Heart Disease Group Project3

Year 2 (duration 6 months) Longitudinal interprofessional team based, self-directed case

regarding the care of a single patient Incorporated competencies: patient care, medical knowledge,

practice based learning, evidence-based medicine, systems based learning, communication skills, interprofessional teamwork and professionalism

Blending Basic Sciences & Longitudinal Curricular Themes

Year 1, Block 4 (duration 8 weeks) Brain, Mind & Behavior: Medicine and pharmacy students learn

normal and abnormal function of the central nervous system. This course serves as a foundation for future courses in both disciplines including Pharmacotherapeutics (pharmacy students) and Principles of Medicine (medicine students).

Longitudinal Curriculum: themes emphasized in this block include professional identity, professionalism and patient care. Building on the concepts covered in BMB, interprofessional activities focus on: Suicide & depression presentation in the health professional Impaired professionals Ethics (involuntary commitment, understanding autism, pain

management)

Creation of a doctor of pharmacy curriculum and revisions to a doctor of medicine curriculum provide an opportunity for integration of curricular content aimed to achieve 50% overlap between programs. Activities are interprofessional and interactive when possible. A longitudinal course sequence exists in both colleges. Longitudinal Curriculum Management Team leaders work with content experts in clinical sciences and the humanities to weave themes throughout the longitudinal courses (vertical integration). Longitudinal curriculum faculty work with faculty in courses running concurrently to integrate related content (horizontal integration). Initial efforts have focused on developing activities in the first 2 professional years. Planning is underway to develop programming for the final 2 years, including a proposed combined epilogue/ capstone at the end of the curriculum.

RESULTSDuring the P1/M1 and P2/M2 years, students spend approximately 500 and 150 hours, respectively, together in basic science coursework (highlighted with in the grid) and longitudinal interprofessional activities (highlighted with n in the grid). Opportunities for P3/M3 interaction are limited since the medical students are off campus. Activities are planned for integration in the P3/M2 curricula, and will incorporate interprofessional activities between P4/M3 and P4/M4 when the pharmacy charter class enters APPEs.

Challenges to implementing the interprofessional curriculum include scheduling, differences in assessment, and faculty/staff resources.

light bluepurple

EXAMPLES OF VERTICAL INTEGRATION

EXAMPLE OF HORIZONTAL INTEGRATION

Patient Interviewing

Year 1 Prologue, Block 1 longitudinal curriculum Pharmacy and medicine students learn interviewing technique

and practice multiple times by interacting with standardized patients in the Wasson Clinical Skills Assessment Center

Incorporated competencies: patient care, professional identity, communication skills, professionalism

EXAMPLE OF INTEGRATION ACROSS COLLEGES