Undergraduate Health Sciences Seminar Built Knowledge and Skills for Interprofessional Communication and Collaboration

• In Event: Topics in Interprofessional Education

Abstract

This session describes implementation of an undergraduate honors seminar for students from different baccalaureate majors to engage with current health topics through communication and collaboration. We co-taught the course with the explicit intention that students gain awareness of interdisciplinary perspectives and expand their understanding of and skills with interprofessional practice. Periodic evaluations in the course included student self-assessment of their perspectives of the material and of group interactions. In the final course review, students reflected on how their learning could apply to their future careers or workplace and professional philosophy. We applied the social capital conceptual model to analyze students’ reflective narratives. Positive outcomes included student recognition of short- and long-term benefits from learning and working with students across disciplines.

Authors

• Beverly W. Henry, Northern Illinois University

• Lara Lyles, Northern Illinois University

• Marissa Beldon, Northern Illinois University