Impact of Interprofessional Facilitation on Teaching, Clinical Practice and Personal Growth

Interprofessional education is a mutually beneficial dynamic, benefiting both the learner and the individual facilitating the learning opportunity. Facilitating an interprofessional (IP) program allows the facilitator the opportunity to reflect on how they can improve teaching team-based delivery of care, model their teaching to their practice, improve communication, and discover avenues for personal growth. In 2014 the University of Kansas Medical Center began a required three-level Foundations of Interprofessional Collaboration (FIPC) program incorporating TeamSTEPPS® concepts for all health professions students. FIPC specifically embeds the IP core competencies of teams and teamwork; communication; values and ethics; and roles and responsibilities. After each FIPC program, facilitators were sent a voluntary, 8-item survey including a question focused on how participating as a FIPC facilitator affected their teaching, clinical practice or research. Quantitative and qualitative data from the 2018 to 2020 facilitator surveys were analyzed (n=165). Quantitatively, 69.1% (n=114) of respondents agreed that participating as a facilitator changed their teaching, practice or research. Qualitatively, the major themes were an impact on teaching in the classroom and clinic, clinical practice, and personal growth. Pursuing novel teaching and communication platforms with students, intentionally incorporating IP and TeamSTEPPS® language, working in teams, seeking out IP projects and teaching opportunities were common teaching themes. In the clinical space, discussing IP collaboration, opening a pro-bono IP clinic, building IP grants and practices, and personally building relationships with faculty from other programs were discussed. Although personal growth was not specifically asked, it arose as a major theme as respondents reflected on conflict management, selecting constructive debriefing styles with learners and colleagues, and leadership and communication improvement, all of which could impact teaching. Facilitators of an IP program may gain skills to improve their teaching, clinical practice and personal growth, all of which could ultimately impact patient outcomes.