Best Practices for Creating an Interprofessional Student Run Pro Bono Clinic: Fostering the Development of Master Adaptive Learners
Background
To be prepared for the ever-changing healthcare environment, provide safe practice in interprofessional teams, and solve unique and complex problems, healthcare providers need to be adaptive learners prepared for future learning, and develop adaptive expertise.1,2 Adaptive expertise is the ability to solve familiar and unfamiliar problems with flexibility, innovation, and creativity.2,3,4 Health professions educators must be prepared to develop master adaptive learners. Student run pro bono clinics (SRPBC) are an important component of the US healthcare system, providing care for underserved populations, and utilizing best practices for developing these clinics ensures a focus on the social determinants of health and populations served rather than professions.1,5,6 This presentation will discuss the importance of intentional planning, development, and suggested evidence-based best practices for an interprofessional SRPBC. Various adult learning theories, including the Master Adaptive Learner (MAL) model, were used to foster the development of future health professionals that are master adaptive learners.
Design:
To answer the call for development of future healthcare providers that are prepared for interprofessional collaborative practice, this presentation will define and discuss the MAL model, outline the intentional planning of interprofessional SRPBC experiences centered on best practices, and discuss intentional application of learning theories. Best practices for creation of interprofessional SRPBC will be discussed, with input from a local community partner organization focused on addressing the social determinants of health for underserved populations across the lifespan to meet the Quadruple Aim, and faculty from nursing, optometry, and physical therapy.
Results:
The authors used adult learning, experiential learning, and social constructivism theories, as well as the MAL model to intentionally plan for the creation of a future interprofessional SRPBC, centered on evidence based best practices, with input from a local community partner organization and interprofessional care team, to prepare future health professionals to be master adaptive learners.
Conclusion:
Health professions educators must be prepared to develop master adaptive learners and need to have a working knowledge of learning theories and intentionally integrate these into interprofessional SRPBC. These experiential learning activities can foster the development of master adaptive learners. Leveraging communities of practice, among faculty and student learners, and reciprocal partnerships with local community partner organizations, prepares future health professionals to meet societal needs. Creating interprofessional pro bono practice opportunities across all levels of learners produces learners who can adapt to solve new problems and apply knowledge in different contexts.
