Impact of an interprofessional population health course and clinical immersion experience: Students and practice outcomes

The purpose of this paper is to describe the impact of an interprofessional (IP) population health course and accompanying clinical immersion experience. Outcomes related to IP learning, team-based communication, and clinical practice outcomes are discussed. Graduate students in medicine, nursing, pharmacy, public health and social work participated in a blended learning didactic course followed by a clinical immersion experience in primacy care. Students worked in interprofessional teams to complete a needs assessment, and design and implement quality improvement projects with primary care partners. Student assessment included evaluation of teamwork and collaboration and reflective practice. Overall impact of the course was measured by course outcomes, the impact of the quality improvement project at the practice site, and clinical satisfaction working with the student teams. This model demonstrates a clear need to continue to develop educational curricula aimed at building collaborations between health professionals and communities to provide care to populations that is cost effective and quality and outcomes based.