Lightning Talk Description: According to the National Collaborative for Improving the Clinical Learning Environment (NCICLE), the ideal interprofessional clinical learning environment (CLE) is a ‘shared space between various professions collaborating with patients and caregivers, working together to provide the best care possible’ and occurs in any areas where professional students are training1. While great strides have been made in interprofessional education, more work is needed to maximize the CLE to be an ideal interprofessional practice space. Designing an assessment tool to provide formative assessment for sites interested in growing their collaborative practice will greatly benefit practitioners, students and the care provided to patients. Thus, a team of faculty from nursing, dentistry, pharmacy, and medicine, with the support of NC Area Health Education Consortium (NC AHEC) reviewed existing published tools and worked with an instrument development expert to adapt, refine, and pilot an integrated version of the University of Minnesota’s Interprofessional Education Site Readiness (InSITE) tool and Assessment for Collaborative Environments (ACE-15) instrument while expanding on their utility.2,3
The development process included interviews with clinical site preceptors from across North Carolina and from a variety of clinical settings to determine best practices for interprofessional practice and collaboration. Following these interviews, identified themes were used to create an updated instrument for pilot testing. The next phase was to interview specific practice sites identified as having various levels of interprofessional collaboration to test the specificity and feasibility of the tool. Interview findings indicated a need to refine the tool further for ease of administration with length and role clarity of the tool administrator.
Future work includes assessing the current structure of CLEs in North Carolina to determine how these structures impact their ability to provide adequate collaborative practice for learners. Based on themes identified, a coaching model is being developed for sites where experts from the NC AHEC Interprofessional Leaders Collaborative (NC IPELC) will consult with sites to address specific needs identified by the assessment tool, with the goal of creating an action plan for maximizing the CLE. Our work ties into the Nexus Summit theme of Preparing Students for Collaborative Practice by improving clinical site evaluation and self-review as it develops a formative assessment and coaching model to ultimately improve CLEs. By doing this we will have a symbiotic model that sets up CLEs to prepare learners for real-world practice and equip sites with the tools needed to support practice environments as healthcare evolves.
In support of improving patient care, this activity is planned and implemented by The National Center for Interprofessional Practice and Education Office of Interprofessional Continuing Professional Development (National Center OICPD). The National Center OICPD is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) to provide continuing education for the healthcare team.
As a Jointly Accredited Provider, the National Center is approved to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Organizations, not individual courses, are approved under this program. State and provincial regulatory boards have the final authority to determine whether an individual course may be accepted for continuing education credit. The National Center maintains responsibility for this course. Social workers completing this course receive continuing education credits.
The National Center OICPD (JA#: 4008105) is approved by the Board of Certification, Inc. to provide continuing education to Athletic Trainers (ATs).
This activity was planned by and for the healthcare team, and learners will receive Interprofessional Continuing Education (IPCE) credit for learning and change.
Physicians: The National Center for Interprofessional Practice and Education designates this live activity for AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Physicians should only claim credit commensurate with their participation.
Physician Assistants: The American Academy of Physician Assistants (AAPA) accepts credit from organizations accredited by the ACCME.
Nurses: Participants will be awarded contact hours of credit for attendance at this workshop.
Nurse Practitioners: The American Academy of Nurse Practitioners Certification Program (AANPCP) accepts credit from organizations accredited by the ACCME and ANCC.
Pharmacists and Pharmacy Technicians: This activity is approved for contact hours.
Athletic Trainers: This program is eligible for Category A hours/CEUs. ATs should claim only those hours actually spent in the educational program.
Social Workers: As a Jointly Accredited Organization, the National Center is approved to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Organizations, not individual courses, are approved under this program. State and provincial regulatory boards have the final authority to determine whether an individual course may be accepted for continuing education credit. The National Center maintains responsibility for this course. Social workers completing this course receive continuing education credits.
IPCE: This activity was planned by and for the healthcare team, and learners will receive Interprofessional Continuing Education (IPCE) credits for learning and change.
Learners can claim CE credit by completing the Daily Evaluation.
