Training future health care professionals to provide just and equitable services for their patients is an important, but small step towards achieving health equity. The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and researchers at the University of Madison Wisconsin have found that 50% of population health outcomes relate to social and environmental determinants (www.countyhealthrankings.org) which health providers have little control over. Additionally, these social and environmental factors have a large impact on health behaviors, which health providers are often trying to improve in their respective patient populations. Advocating for policies that improve equity in the social and environmental determinants of health, leveraging their societal status as healthcare providers, is another avenue for health care providers to contribute to health equity. Interprofessional advocacy projects provide an opportunity for students to engage in advocacy efforts around the social and environmental determinants of health. The Interprofessional Healthcare and One Health courses are required curriculum for first year students in health professions programs at Midwestern University. The courses all build towards a final project completed with an interprofessional group. During the 2020-2021 academic year, one of the project options was for groups to advocate for (or against) a particular policy or program that would improve health outcomes for their future patients. Because these students come from a wide variety of health care professions including veterinary medicine, the advocacy projects often related to issues regarding the social and environmental determinants of health. This lightening talk will provide details on how the course instructor guided student groups through the policy-making process, project requirements, and a breakdown of the types of topics the students chose to advocate for. Suggestions for assessing knowledge about interprofessional collaboration and health equity will be presented.
In support of improving patient care, this activity is planned and implemented by The National Center for Interprofessional Practice and Education Office of Interprofessional Continuing Professional Development (OICPD). The OICPD is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) to provide continuing education for the healthcare team.
As a Jointly Accredited Provider, the OICPD is approved to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Organizations, not individual courses, are approved under this program. State and provincial regulatory boards have the final authority to determine whether an individual course may be accepted for continuing education credit. The OICPD maintains responsibility for this course. Social workers completing this course receive continuing education credits.
This activity was planned by and for the healthcare team, and learners will receive Interprofessional Continuing Education (IPCE) credit for learning and change.
Physicians: The National Center for Interprofessional Practice and Education designates this live activity for AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™.
Physician Assistants: The American Academy of Physician Assistants (AAPA) accepts credit from organizations accredited by the ACCME.
Nurses: Participants will be awarded contact hours of credit for attendance at this workshop.
Nurse Practitioners: The American Academy of Nurse Practitioners Certification Program (AANPCP) accepts credit from organizations accredited by the ACCME and ANCC.
Pharmacists and Pharmacy Technicians: This activity is approved for contact hours.
Social Workers: As a Jointly Accredited Organization, the National Center is approved to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Organizations, not individual courses, are approved under this program. State and provincial regulatory boards have the final authority to determine whether an individual course may be accepted for continuing education credit. The National Center maintains responsibility for this course. Social workers completing this course receive continuing education credits.
IPCE: This activity was planned by and for the healthcare team, and learners will receive Interprofessional Continuing Education (IPCE) credits for learning and change
