An Interprofessional Skills Development Program for Pre-Service School-Based Professionals

This article describes a pilot project conducted by an interprofessional team of faculty from Social Work, Education, Nursing, Counseling and Educational Psychology. University graduate students within these disciplines/programs were recruited to participate in a fully online, synchronous and asynchronous workshop focusing on interprofessional collaboration in the pre-kindergarten through 12th grade (PK-12) educational setting. First, faculty led a three-hour workshop via Zoom with didactic and interactive components to illustrate the value of interprofessional collaboration, build a culture of mutual respect, clarify professional roles, and highlight the importance of communication/teamwork. 15 students were then placed into mixed-discipline groups of five, with a member from each discipline, to engage in a series of four online asynchronous video discussions. Students completed a pre and post survey and participated in a focus group at the program’s end. Results from analysis of this pilot demonstrated that tools and approaches utilized to support Interprofessional Education (IPE) in healthcare, translate well to the domain of PK-12 education, and can improve students’ skills and attitudes toward Interprofessional Collaboration (IPC). A description of the project and materials are provided here for faculty seeking to facilitate collaborative interprofessional training among students of various disciplines preparing to work in the PK-12 educational setting.