Pilot Interprofessional Education Program for OT Student Pediatric Practice Readiness

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Michelle A. Suarez, Ph.D., OTR/L; Heather K. Koole, MA, CCC-SLP; Jerrold Jackson, M.A., CCC-SLP

Abstract

This mixed methods pilot study investigated the impact of an interprofessional education program on OT student readiness for collaboration with SLP students in a pediatric teaching-clinic practice setting. OT students were randomly assigned to either the treatment group, which received the interprofessional education experience, or the control group, which received the typical educational experience. Students completed pre and post surveys and journaled about the experience. Results pointed to a ceiling effect in the measurement scales in both the treatment and control groups due to positive attitudes at baseline. This positivity was also reflected in journal entries for the treatment group students. Several insights were gained through data analysis about the feasibility of this type of program, the usefulness of available measuring tools for detecting change in small samples, and the developmental progression of interprofessional skills attainment.

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Declaration on interest

This project was funded by a doctoral student research grant from the Blue Cross Blue Shield Foundation of Michigan.

Recommended Citation

Suarez, M. A., Koole, H. K., & Jackson, J. (2014). Pilot Interprofessional Education Program for OT Student Pediatric Practice Readiness. The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy, 2(1). https://doi.org/10.15453/2168-6408.1068