Implementation and Evaluation of an Interprofessional Education Workshop to Enhance Health Care Student Resilience and Adaptability

Context While adaptability and resilience have been identified as important skills for athletic trainers and other health care professionals, few formal methods for increasing competence in these constructs have been described. Using an interprofessional education (IPE) experience to explore these topics provides participants with a greater understanding of their role in collaborative health care settings and appreciation for the importance of adaptability and resilience across health care professions. Objective To overview an IPE program designed to enhance adaptability and resilience skills in preservice health care professionals. Background Health care workers face several challenges inherent to their positions including long hours accompanied by low pay which, if not appropriately managed, can lead to a wide range of negative outcomes including decreased patient care and withdrawal from the profession. To combat these negative consequences, educators could incorporate a skill-building curriculum focused on coping within a high-stress environment. Interprofessional education has demonstrated the potential to prepare health care workers to work collaboratively to enhance patient care, making it an ideal model for approaching these topics that affect all helping professions. Description An IPE workshop designed to introduce and develop adaptability and resilience in preprofessional health care workers. Clinical Advantage(s) Use of an IPE workshop allowed participants to develop adaptability and resilience skills in a case-based program with individuals from a variety of backgrounds. Guided group discussions ensured sharing of perspectives, leading to increased understanding of the roles of other health care professionals and appreciation for the diverse perceptions of and approaches to change and challenge in collaborative settings. Conclusion(s) This IPE workshop achieved the goals of enhancing adaptability and resilience among participants and allowed for increased understanding of the roles and responsibilities of other health care professionals, the value of IPE communications, and the benefits of shared decision making.