Interprofessional Education in Allied Health Using Virtual Technologies.

BACKGROUND: Interprofessional education (IPE) is becoming increasingly prevalent in health science education, with the goal of preparing students to work collaboratively in teams within the healthcare environment. Students in our cytotechnology and radiation therapy (RT) programs used virtual technologies to demonstrate their professions using case studies. The purpose of this activity was to see if our students' knowledge of each other's professions and educational technologies increased and if the students had a better understanding of how they would work together in a healthcare team.

METHODS: Participants included four cytotechnology students and five RT students. All were given a presurvey to determine their level of knowledge about each other's profession. The cytotechnology students presented cases involving gynecologic and lung cancers using virtual microscopy and explained how they screen slides and interpret cellular changes. The RT students explained how they would treat these same patients using the Virtual Environment Radiotherapy Training system (VERT), showing the cytotechnology students how the beam is guided to the exact spot for treatment. After the IPE activity, all participants were given a post-survey to determine their levels of understanding.

RESULTS: The results indicated that the IPE activity increased the level of understanding regarding each other's professions and how they each fit together in the role of patient care.

CONCLUSIONS: IPE activities, even on a small scale with two professions in the same college, can improve knowledge and collaboration between professions. More of these activities should be conducted for effective healthcare teams and improved patient outcomes.