RESEARCH ARTICLES Pharmacy Student Participation in an Interdisciplinary Case Conference

Objectives. An emphasis on pharmaceutical care has made interdisciplinary teamwork increasingly important. However, required interdisciplinary education is rare in pharmacy education. The purpose of this paper is to discuss pharmacy student participation in a required interdisciplinary case conference designed and implemented for health professional students. Methods. At the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 439 health professional students, including 113 doctor of pharmacy students, participated in a required series of 2 simulated interdisciplinary case conferences. Evaluation focused on changes in knowledge and attitudes of both students and facilitators and included preconference and postconference surveys of students and postconference surveys of facilitators. Results. In general, students’ knowledge of other health care professionals increased. With regard to pharmacy students’ attitudes toward interdisciplinary care, students reported generally positive attitudes, with a greater improvement in their attitudes preconference to postconference in pharmacy students than in other students. Conclusions. Results show that interdisciplinary experiences can assist students in developing appreciation for the expertise that each health profession offers.