This document summarizes a lecture on collaborative healthcare education given by Dr. Karen Pardue and Dr. Shelley Cohen Konrad at the University of New England. It discusses Mary Switzer as a pioneer of interprofessional collaboration. It outlines the importance of interprofessional education (IPE) in advancing patient care and controlling costs. IPE principles from organizations like the WHO and IOM are presented. Studies show IPE reduces stereotypes and improves understanding of roles. The University of New England's IPE initiatives for students and faculty are described, including case-based learning using the example of patient Pat Chalmers.

1. Collaborative Healthcare Education:
Innovation & Leadership
Mary Switzer Lecture
October 24, 2013
Dr. Karen Pardue
Dr. Shelley Cohen Konrad
University of New England

2. Mary Switzer (1900-1971) was an interprofessional
collaborative leader before her time. She supported
cross-disability programs and was active in drafting the
constitution of the World Health Organization. She was
an advocate and global voice for people with
disabilities and for those who served their rehabilitative
and recovery needs.

3. World Health Organization (2010)
“Once students understand how to work
interprofessionally, they are ready to enter
the workplace as a member of the
collaborative practice team.”
•
•

4. WHY IPE IS IMPORTANT?
To advance the aim
of improving
health of the
population,
enhancing patient
care and
controlling costs
To close the gap
between health
education and
practice settings by
aligning their
needs and
interests

5. IPE – Guiding Principles
http://www.aacn.nche.edu/education-resources/IPECReport.pdf
World Health
Organization
Canadian
Interprofessional
Health Collaborative
Institute of
Medicine
U. S.
Interprofessional
Expert Panel

6. “It is clear that how care is delivered is as important as
what care is delivered.” (IOM, 2001)
___________________________________________
Content
WHAT
Discipline
Expertise
Process
IP Communication
Caring Practice
HOW

7. Roles & Responsibilities
• Communicate one’s roles and responsibilities
• Engage diverse healthcare professionals to meet the needs
of patients, families and populations.
• Use unique and complementary abilities of all members of
the team, to optimize patient care.
Physical
Occupational
Emotional
Vocational

8. Values & Ethics
• Place the interests of patients and populations at the
center of health care.
• Respect unique cultural values and perspectives of
individuals, populations, and health professionals.

9. Communication
• Use respectful and appropriate communication in all
situations.
• Listen actively and encourage ideas and opinions of
all team members.

10. Teams & Teamwork
• Work with others to deliver patient-centered,
community-responsive care.
• Integrate knowledge and experience of other
professions to inform effective clinical, ethical, and
systems-based decisions.

11. Collaborative Leadership
• Strong leaders value contributions of all health team
members’ and also those of the patient, family, and
community.
• Leaders facilitate contributions from all team
members and build support for working together.

12. Patient Centered Care
PatientPractitioner
Complementary
Expertise
Family/
Trust
Community
Centered
Connection
Cooperation
Compassion
Coordination
Communication
Collaboration

13. Contact Hypothesis - Framework
Attitudinal Change is fostered when students
learn together
•
•
•
•
•
Cooperation
Teamwork
Reduction of Stereotypes
Enhanced Role Understanding
Mutual Respect
(Allport, 1979; Hewstone & Brown, 1986)

14. Contact Hypothesis- Conditions
• Equal Status
• Positive Cooperative
Atmosphere
• Active work towards
common goal
• Discovery of Similarities
& Differences
• Faculty Modeling
• Expressed Institutional
Value

15. Contact Hypothesis- Methodology
• Learning with Others
reduces assumptions,
stereotypes and
misunderstanding
• Resolves cognitive
dissonance
• Relationships &
Friendships
• Emotional Connection
• Role Empathy
I have seen significant
changes in attitudes
from the students who
are working in teams. I
have heard each student
say “ I NOW value the
role of …..X…” in patient
care…..I NOW
understand my ability to
work more closely with
….X”.
I think this change could
have profound impact in
the future. DM-Faculty

16. Contact Hypothesis Testing
Undergraduate H/P Students
Before & After Enrollment in IPE Course
Statement
(N=167 matched pair)
Pre
M
Post
M
t
p
value
Learning w/ students from other
h/p is likely to facilitate future
working relationships
2.09
1.86
2.80
.006
Learning w/ other h/p students
is likely to overcome
stereotypes that are held about
the different professions
2.01
1.72
3.53
.001
Learning w/ students from other
h/p is a positive learning
experience
1.76
1.61
2.13
.035
Learning w/ students from other
h/p is likely to improve service
for the patient/client
1.80
1.57
3.18
.002
Pollard et al., 2004. University of West England IPQ

17. IPE Initiatives - Students
The University will have integrated
educational, research, science and
service programs that are based on
collaborative, interdisciplinary
partnerships. UNE will continue to be
the primary educator of healthcare
professionals for the state of Maine.
Health science programs will
embrace and promote a patientcentered approach to educating
osteopathic physicians and
healthcare professionals.
Interprofessional programs promote
learning in integrative ways.
UNE Vision 2017

18. IPE Curriculum
Undergraduate IPE Core
Geriatric Education (IGEP)
Simulation
Online Learning
Spring Symposium

19. Extra- & Co-Curricular IPE
IPEC Event Series
IPE & the Arts
IP Student Advisory Team
IPE Case Conference
Scholarship & Research

20. IPE Service Learning
Ghana Immersion Learning
Jail Project
Riverton Clinic
Homeless Health

21. IPE Initiatives – Innovative Models
UNE is committed to providing
continuing education and training
opportunities in interprofessional
education and care for campusbased faculty, clinical preceptors,
and community partners.
Learning about, from and with
each other ensures that educators
and practitioners appropriately
practice and model IPE principles
and values

22. Faculty/Practitioner Opportunities
TeamSTEPPS
Not Left to Chance
Community Partnerships
National Consultants
IPE Scholarship
National Collaborations

23. Building Pat’s Story

24. Meet Pat Chalmers

25. Patricia Chalmers, 31
Patricia (Pat) Chalmers is a 31-year-old woman who prides herself on
self-sufficiency and resourcefulness. She works part-time as a
bookkeeper and gets paid to take care of her aging grandmother with
whom she lives.
Pat describes herself as having been a caretaker since adolescence. It is
therefore difficult for her to acknowledge her own needs or to seek
others for help.
Pat is tired of people commenting on her weight, diet, and need to
exercise. She avoids health care as much as possible because she
knows she’ll be told to lose weight or be blamed for “being fat” (her
words). “I know what risks I face” she says. “But I’ve tried everything
and nothing works. I’ve accepted my size and would like others to
respect that.”
Pat found herself in the ED with a broken ankle several months ago.
The break was significant enough to require surgery. Labs revealed
elevated glucose levels and surgery was put off until further tests could
be done to determine whether Pat might have diabetes. When asked
about this possibility, Pat reacted strongly. “I don’t have the time or
money for diabetes,” she explained.

26. Questions
1. What do we know about Pat?
2. What health professions might contribute to
Pat’s rehabilitation and recovery?
3. How can Pat’s case be used to educate health
professions students in IPE competencies?
4. How can Pat’s case be used for health
professions faculty development?

27. Occupational Therapy

28. Applied Exercise Science/Athletic
Training

29. Physical Therapy

30. The Nexus
The next step forward is to increase the link between
future healthcare employers and campus-based
interprofessional educational initiatives.

31. Interprofessional Practice Settings
6 Week Shared
Rotations
Shared
Assignments &
Didactics
Crossprofessional
preceptorships
Common
Patient Panel

32. Student Reflection
Working in an interprofessional health system is not only beneficial
to the patient, but also to everyone on the team… each
professional learns from the other and they also can discuss their
roles and responsibilities. … having various roles and
responsibilities, they are able to work together with a common goal
of providing the utmost care and maintaining the well being of a
patient. Having a collaborative work environment with involvement
from different health care professionals allows for a solution to any
problem that may arise in a healthcare setting.
Jeby Mathew, Pharmacy Student fall 2013

33. Faculty Reflections
“The more we work interprofessionally, the more
apparent it becomes that we face tremendously
challenging health care issues that can only be
solved through collaboration and teamwork.
There is momentum to our interprofessional
efforts that appears unstoppable.”
Jan Froehlich, OT Faculty

34. Mary Switzer: Agent for Culture Change
“She was extraordinary and she … was indefatigable and a political
courtesan with tremendous powers of persuasion. She had charm …
she was bright and decisive.” (Verville, 2009)
Social Work
Public Health
Rehabilitative Medicine
Mental Health

35. Comments & Questions

36. Shelley Cohen Konrad PhD, LCSW
Karen Pardue, PhD, RN, CNE, ANEF
University of New England
716 Stevens Avenue
Portland, ME 04103
scohenkonrad@une.edu
kpardue@une.edu