Collaborating to care for a standardized patient in the outpatient setting: An interprofessional learning activity for dental and pharmacy students

Abstract A small group standardized patient interview and case discussion with both online and classroom components was developed for second-year pharmacy students and fourth-year dental students. Student objectives for this experience were to learn about the dental or pharmacy profession, to collaborate interprofessionally to develop a care plan for a medically complex patient in the outpatient setting and to document a patient care plan for a patient. This format was chosen to allow the students multiple opportunities to interact with interprofessional peers and to simulate clinical patient care. Students completed the Jefferson Scale of Attitudes Toward Interprofessional Collaboration (JeffSATIC) and a “Roles and Responsibilities” quiz (RR quiz) before and after the activities. Students used an online tool to discuss roles/responsibilities of their professions with their team members prior to the IPLE (Interprofessional Learning Experience). During the IPLE, student teams interviewed a medically complex standardized patient presenting with acute dental pain and collaboratively discussed therapeutic options and developed a treatment plan. A paired t-test for students in both professions on the JeffSATIC and pre- and post-RR quiz resulted in no significant differences in attitude or knowledge due to the IPLE. This experience could be implemented as one part of a comprehensive IPE curriculum. Students reported the experience was valuable. The interprofessional collaboration resulted in a novel experience using active learning and mutually relevant content. Future offerings of this IPLE should include assessment of specific interprofessional outcomes such as collaboration. Materials required are available from the authors.