SPECIAL INTEREST REPORT PLATFORM PRESENTATION

INTERPROFESSIONAL APPROACH TO STUDENT INTERNSHIPS ON AMERICAN INDIAN RESERVATION. Johnson B¹, Amundson M², Zimmerman S³; ¹Department of Physical Therpay, University of North Dakota School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Grand Forks, ND, USA. ²Center for Rural Health, University of North Dakota School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Grand Forks, North Dakota, USA. ³Department of Occupational Therapy, University of North Dakota School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Grand Forks, North Dakota, USA

PURPOSE: The primary purpose of this project was to demonstrate and evaluate an interprofessional model designed to train health care practitioners. Secondary purposes were to improve cultural awareness of the participants, and to increase interest in and awareness of health care opportunities in under serviced areas. RELEVANCE: The shortage of healthcare professionals along with the escalating costs of health care delivery encourages an interprofessional approach to service delivery. There is a shortage of healthcare professionals in the rural areas and in particular on American Indian Reservations. This rural interprofessional experience provided an opportunity to increase interest in and awareness of rural health settings as a career opportunity. The participants also gained an appreciation of the health issues in the American Indian population. DESCRIPTION: Students from multiple disciplines (Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy, Medicine, Social Work and Clinical Laboratory Science) completed a one month health care internship on an American Indian reservation where they lived and worked together with faculty and professional preceptors. The interprofessional curriculum included case-study presentations, team building exercises, community projects, and rotations with a variety of health care providers and community service agencies. EVALUATION: Qualitative and quantitative data were collected by an outside consultant to investigate student learning via pre and post tests, and student, faculty and community satisfaction with the program. CONCLUSIONS: All students (n=46) agreed that they gained valuable insights into rural health care. Ninety-four percent of the students would recommend this experience to other students. Initial faculty remained committed to the project throughout the six years. Faculty and students commented on their growth in understanding and respect of other professions and their appreciation of rural health care needs. Experiences gained in the project provide valuable insight into interprofessional health training. Future studies should address the effectiveness of interprofessional training in for health care delivery versus the traditional western medical model. IMPLICATIONS: The shortage of healthcare professionals along with the escalating costs of health care encourages an interprofessional approach to health care services. This project provides a template for interprofessional health training in the clinical environment. KEYWORDS: multi-cultural, student internships. FUNDING ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS: The Bureau of Health Professions Quentin N. Burdick Interdisciplinary Training grant program.