Interprofessionalism From the Start – First Term PTs and OTs Learning Together

PT and OT Students Collaborate, to Start Off Their USAHS Journey

 

On Thursday, May 16, first term Occupational Therapy and Physical Therapy students gathered for their very first class of graduate school on the San Marcos campus.

That “first day of school” feeling buzzed around the classroom accompanied by the welcoming aroma of pizza. Students were nervous and excited as they introduced themselves to one another, grabbed a slice and found their seats.

The Patient Care Management class is an interprofessional class led by Dr. Norman Belleza, PT, DPT and Maureen “Mo” Johnson, MOT to encourage interprofessional communication and collaboration as it exists in real-world practice.

Students were introduced to USAHS PT and OT faculty members who stayed throughout the class to help with the scavenger hunt activity.

There were 20 stations set up around the classroom, each numbered with a different piece of medical equipment used in PT and OT practice. Students were grouped into to teams and tasked with identifying each piece of equipment. They could use their textbooks and smartphones as resources.

PT and OT faculty walked around dropping hints and guiding students in the right direction in their search. At the end of the scavenger hunt was a word puzzle based off the names of the medical equipment, the first team to complete the puzzle won the scavenger hunt.

“This is my first time teaching an interprofessional class, and we have more interprofessional activities planned throughout the year,” Dr. Belleza said. “This is really exciting for everyone involved because these are the people and professionals you are going to be working with after graduation. We all have to work together toward the common goal of patient-centered care.”

Some of the core categories Dr. Belleza and Mrs. Johnson will be focusing on throughout the term are interprofessional teamwork and team-based practice, interprofessional communication practices, values and ethics for interprofessional practice and roles and responsibilities for collaborative practice.

Faculty and students alike were excited for the start of the term and this collaborative learning environment.