Abstract
Interprofessional education (IPE) prepares students from different health professions to work collaboratively within interprofessional care teams. Based on a post-event survey, this presentation compares student experience and satisfaction with an in-person experience with an online experience.
In the decade before the COVID-19 pandemic, over 4000 graduate and undergraduate students from an urban medical educational institution including nursing, medicine, dentistry, optometry, physical therapy, social work, nutrition, pharmacy, occupational therapy, laboratory science, public health, and physician assistants participated in a half-day in-person Interprofessional Team Training (IPTT) event. Following the presentation of a simulated patient in a large auditorium, 15-18 groups of 20-25 students, along with trained facilitators, moved to classrooms to discuss the medical, environmental, economic, and social factors related to the care of the patient. Each profession described their role in patient care and then collaboratively prepared a care plan based on their individual experience, training, values, attitudes, and perspectives of their disciplines.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, in-person meeting restrictions necessitated moving to online IPTT. In contrast to the in-person experience, 20-25 students from different professions met for 1.5 hours online. After presenting a recorded standardized patient scenario, 4-6 students from various disciplines were placed in breakout rooms where discussions reflecting the above in-person experience occurred. Afterward, students returned to the main room for further discussion. For both experiences, the most important goal was developing communication with students from other health professions.
A pre-/post reflective survey using the revised Interprofessional Collaborative Competency Attainment Scale (ICCAS) assessed student perceptions of their ability to collaborate within interprofessional teams. A comparison of mean ICCAS scores indicated a greater increase with in-person (0.81) compared to online delivery (0.69, p=0.038). Students across all professions indicated increased competence and confidence to communicate, function, and problem-solve with other professions.
The logistics of in-person IPTT moving large numbers of people versus the logistics of online IPTT using breakout rooms provides greater efficiency with online IPTT, making online delivery practical and sustainable.
Notes
References:
Brown DK, Kushner Benson SN. Does time in team training matter? Evaluation of team-level attitudes with interprofessional education. Clin Simul Nurs. 2020;48:38-45. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecns.2020.08.002
Hitchcock LI, Shorten A, Bosworth P, Galin S, Edmonds T, Harada C. Using a standardized patient model for interprofessional team training in social work. Adv Soc Work. 2020;20(2):355-370. doi:https://doi.org/10.18060/23664
Interprofessional Collaborative Competency Attainment Survey (ICCAS): A replication validation study. J Interprof Care. 2017;31(1):28-34. doi:10.1080/13561820.2016.1233096
Isibel D, Bennington L, Boshier M, Stull S, Blando J, Claiborne D. Building interprofessional student teams for impactful community service learning. J Interprof Educ Prac. 2018;12:83-85. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.xjep.2018.07.002
Labrague LJ, McEnroe-Petitte DM, Fronda DC, Obeidat AA. Interprofessional simulation in undergraduate nursing program: An integrative review. Nurse Educ Today. 2018;67:46-55. doi:10.1016/j.nedt.2018.05.0014.
McDermott DS, Ludlow J. A prebriefing guide for online, virtual, or distant simulation
experiences. Clin Simul Nurs. 2022;67:1-5. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecns.2022.03.004
Sigma Membership
Non-member
Type
Presentation
Format Type
Text-based Document
Study Design/Type
Other
Research Approach
Translational Research/Evidence-based Practice
Keywords:
Interprofessional, Interdisciplinary, Mentoring and Coaching, Instrument and Tool Development, Learning Environments
Recommended Citation
Somerall, William E. Jr.; Shorten, Allison; Bosworth, Peter E.; Camp, Shelly E.; House, David T.; Shorten, Brett E.; Watts, Penni; and Webb, Tera L., "Interprofessional Team Training: In-Person or Online, Does the Learning Environment Matter?" (2025). Biennial Convention (CONV). 21.
https://www.sigmarepository.org/convention/2025/presentations_2025/21
Conference Name
48th Biennial Convention
Conference Host
Sigma Theta Tau International
Conference Location
Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
Conference Year
2025
Rights Holder
All rights reserved by the author(s) and/or publisher(s) listed in this item record unless relinquished in whole or part by a rights notation or a Creative Commons License present in this item record. All permission requests should be directed accordingly and not to the Sigma Repository. All submitting authors or publishers have affirmed that when using material in their work where they do not own copyright, they have obtained permission of the copyright holder prior to submission and the rights holder has been acknowledged as necessary.
Review Type
Abstract Review Only: Reviewed by Event Host
Acquisition
Proxy-submission
Date of Issue
2025-11-18
Interprofessional Team Training: In-Person or Online, Does the Learning Environment Matter?
Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
Interprofessional education (IPE) prepares students from different health professions to work collaboratively within interprofessional care teams. Based on a post-event survey, this presentation compares student experience and satisfaction with an in-person experience with an online experience.
In the decade before the COVID-19 pandemic, over 4000 graduate and undergraduate students from an urban medical educational institution including nursing, medicine, dentistry, optometry, physical therapy, social work, nutrition, pharmacy, occupational therapy, laboratory science, public health, and physician assistants participated in a half-day in-person Interprofessional Team Training (IPTT) event. Following the presentation of a simulated patient in a large auditorium, 15-18 groups of 20-25 students, along with trained facilitators, moved to classrooms to discuss the medical, environmental, economic, and social factors related to the care of the patient. Each profession described their role in patient care and then collaboratively prepared a care plan based on their individual experience, training, values, attitudes, and perspectives of their disciplines.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, in-person meeting restrictions necessitated moving to online IPTT. In contrast to the in-person experience, 20-25 students from different professions met for 1.5 hours online. After presenting a recorded standardized patient scenario, 4-6 students from various disciplines were placed in breakout rooms where discussions reflecting the above in-person experience occurred. Afterward, students returned to the main room for further discussion. For both experiences, the most important goal was developing communication with students from other health professions.
A pre-/post reflective survey using the revised Interprofessional Collaborative Competency Attainment Scale (ICCAS) assessed student perceptions of their ability to collaborate within interprofessional teams. A comparison of mean ICCAS scores indicated a greater increase with in-person (0.81) compared to online delivery (0.69, p=0.038). Students across all professions indicated increased competence and confidence to communicate, function, and problem-solve with other professions.
The logistics of in-person IPTT moving large numbers of people versus the logistics of online IPTT using breakout rooms provides greater efficiency with online IPTT, making online delivery practical and sustainable.
Description
Interprofessional education and Interprofessional Team Training (IPTT) are essential strategies for preparing students from different health professions for working collaboratively within interprofessional care teams. IPTT, pre-COVID, was provided through live sessions. Post-COVID, an online platform provided greater flexibility in scheduling, increased student participation in local and distant locations, expanded training options, improved efficiency, and smaller groups.