Purpose: The inclusion of interprofessional education (IPE) is essential for the health professions curricula and establishes the expectation of collaborative patient-centered care. The COVID-19 pandemic has required educators to develop innovative methods for IPE student engagement. The purpose of this study was to evaluate a college-based virtual IPE activity for first-year health profession students and measure their interprofessional socialization and values (ISVS) toward IPE teams. The validated interprofessional socialization and valuing scales (ISVS-9A/9B) were used.
Methods: A one-group pre-post-test design examined health profession students' ISVS from seven health programs before and after a virtual IPE activity. The IPE activity was a case-study grounded in the Interprofessional Education Collaborative (IPEC) core competencies that addressed each of the student learners' professional roles.
Results: A total of 244 students and 122 students completed the ISVS-9A/9B, respectively. A significant increase in the average total ISVS-9A/9B scores was observed among all student learners for 85 matched pairs (5.27 ± 1.11 vs 5.56 ± 1.02, p=0.01). Participating students generally found the activity valuable to their learning.
Conclusions: The virtual composition of the IPE activity reduced logistical barriers and allowed for collaboration and awareness among students. Virtual IPE activities may be the cornerstone for interdisciplinary student engagement.