The sustainability of a 4-year intercollegiate simulation for occupational therapy and physical therapy students

This paper describes yearly interprofessional education (IPE) simulations, completed with cohorts of occupational therapy (OT) and physical therapy (PT) students, from two universities located 43 miles apart. Case based simulations were developed with the objective to have the OT and PT students provide rehabilitation services to improve a patient's overall function and mobility. Since 2014, groups of 5-9 OT/PT student teams have rotated through 3 different simulations, and were assigned different roles (OT, PT, patient, family member, observer) for each rotation. Following the final simulation, OT/PT students collaborated on a documentation assignment. Both OT and PT faculty were present at the simulation to provide initial instructions, manage time, and facilitate debriefing. Post-simulation, students were required to write a reflection of their individual experience. Using student reflections and faculty feedback over the four years, the IPE experience has been modified to better meet the student needs. The IPE experience has been sustained due to the commitment of four key faculty from the two institutions. Implementing IPE learning opportunities for OT/PT students who attend different universities may demonstrate improvement in perceptions of IPE. Health care professional programs that are housed in an institution without other professions may consider collaborating with other universities to provide IPE experiences for their students.