Student Reflections on Interprofessional Teaming in Museum Galleries

Background

This project integrates museum-based sessions into a community-based, interprofessional education program for health professions students. Teams of students work with individuals who have complex health and social needs to provide care coordination and supportive community-based, person-centered interventions. Students learn to work collaboratively to identify and address social, behavioral and structural barriers to health while developing IPEC competencies.

Methods

Project aims include promoting effective teaming, enhancing observation skills, and providing opportunities for guided reflection. Museum-based teaming sessions were designed to prepare students for interprofessional, cross-sector, community-engaged learning. At program kickoff, student teams participated in a facilitated examination of artistic work and a Back-to-Back Drawing Exercise (Obj: enhance observation skills and promote teaming). At program end, student teams were to participate in Personal Response Tours (Obj: individual and group reflection on the learning experience), but this activity was canceled due to COVID 19.

Results

This poster will share qualitative research findings from students' reflective writings. We hypothesized that the addition of intentional teaming and reflection activities in this novel, non-healthcare setting would cultivate clinically applicable skills including greater interprofessional teamness and IPEC competencies (Interprofessional Attitudes Survey, Blumenthal, 2012), increased tolerance for ambiguity (Intolerance of Ambiguity Scale, Budner, 1962) and enhanced student learning through reflection (analysis of students' written and verbal reflections). Although not all museum-based learning activities and data collection could be completed, an analysis of students' reflective writing reveals that students identify specific benefits to team-based close-looking and value learning in the museum setting.

Conclusions

Museum-based learning activities including close-looking and reflective writing can be effective educational tools for interprofessional student teaming.

Reflections

Adaptations to this project were made to accommodate COVID 19 restrictions in our educational setting. Although the full program of museum-based activities and assessments could not be implemented, analysis of students' reflective writings demonstrates that even a few activities in the museum setting have a positive impact on interprofessional learning.