Interprofessional Education Events
Bellin College and Medical College of Wisconsin-Green Bay hosted a series of four Interprofessional Education (IPE) events during the 2015-2016 academic year. The IPE events involved a subset of Bachelor’s of Science in Nursing (BSN), Bachelor’s of Science in Radiologic Sciences (BSRS), and Master’s of Science in Nursing (MSN) students along with Medical College of Wisconsin-Green Bay medical students. The events were held at Bellin College’s Campus.
The first two events focused on team building and communications methods with a series of ice breaker activities and case studies. The last two events were held in the newly expanded Health Sciences Resource Center simulation labs in the lower level of the College. The labs simulated real-life hospital settings and experiences.
These events were a collaborative initiative between Bellin College and Medical College of WisconsinGreen Bay with the goal to provide the students with the education to better prepare them for the future of healthcare. The healthcare system needs improvements; improvements not only in patient outcomes, but how practicing professionals work with patients and each other. Most errors made in the healthcare system are failures of the system, and rarely fall on just one person. Interprofessional education prepares students to better understand the value of teamwork and collegiality between professionals. Nurses, nurse practitioners, radiologic technologists and physicians have been historically educated separately from each other and do not fully learn and understand the education and roles of each other.
Since the College now encompasses programs involving students being prepared to serve and contribute as integral members of healthcare teams, it finds itself in an ideal position to promote interprofessional collaboration. Students from the BSN, BSRS, and MSN programs were pivotal participants. The College’s partnership with the Medical College of Wisconsin allowed for involvement with their Green Bay medical students.
