An Interprofessional Course on Trauma-Informed Care

Abstract

Background: Health care professionals need to recognize trauma exposure and provide trauma-informed care. There is a concomitant need to develop resilience when working in this context.

Problem: We recognized the need to educate future health care professionals to provide trauma-informed care, develop resilience skills, and collaborate with other disciplines to provide this care.

Approach: We used a systematic instructional design process and an interprofessional approach to design and deliver the course. We utilized a range of resources and approached the course from micro, meso, and macro perspectives.

Outcomes: Through purposeful design, we developed a course that was well-aligned with our objectives. Assessments provided documentation that students achieved the learning outcomes.

Conclusions: The course educated future health care professionals on trauma-informed care. Students gained valuable experience that will help them contribute to interprofessional teams in the future. Students also practiced resilience techniques essential for health care professionals.