Influence of Virtual Learning Clinical Case-Study Course on Interprofessional Competencies
Effective interprofessional education (IPE) can improve student attitudes, knowledge, and skills related to team-based care, but its delivery and impact were deeply challenged by the rapid conversion to virtual learning as a result of the COVID-19 global pandemic. This study set out to assess the acquisition of interprofessional competencies by Physician Assistant (PA) and Pharmacy (Pharm) students via an interactive case-based course delivered in a virtual learning format and whether the outcomes differed between the two professions.
A 3-quarter, 3-credit course, Interprofessional Case Collaborations (ICC), paired PA (Year 1 of 2) and Pharm (Year 3 of 4) students to expose them to team-based clinical decision-making skills. The course logistics mostly mirrored an earlier face-to-face version of the course, leveraging clinical vignettes presented in progressive disclosure format as a way to develop interprofessional (IP) competencies, but now delivered in a virtual format. Using the pre-post data collection design, first-year PA and third-year Pharm students enrolled in Interprofessional Case Collaborations (ICC) completed an empirically validated and reliable Interprofessional Collaboration Competency Attainment Survey (ICCAS). Pre- and post-course survey results were compared using a mixed-design analysis of variance model (i.e., ANOVA).
A total of 129 (67 PA; 62 Pharm) students enrolled in the course were emailed the Qualtrics survey, 122 completed the postsurvey, with 108 students matched on presurvey and postsurvey (84% response rate). The sample consisted of 61 PA students and 47 Pharm students. 91.9% (n = 57) of PA students indicated a high level of HCE (>1000 hours) compared to 44.7% (n = 21). Pharmacy and PA students demonstrated significant improvement in 20 out of 20 ICCAS survey items. There were interaction effects in 4 out of 20 items, with pharmacy students demonstrating significantly higher increases compared to PA students around these IP behaviors.
The virtual learning format was effective at allowing participants to acquire self-reported IP collaboration-related competencies. Limitations included one cohort from a single institution, the inability to account for variances between educational programs and the self-report nature of data.
During virtual sessions, feeling of being judged by a large number of individuals may have been minimized when sharing clinical decisions via an individual computer screen with a microphone and camera. The shift to virtual learning will likely continue, demanding that the impact on student learning continues to be researched to optimize academic quality. The results contribute to improving understanding of how IPE is impacted by the virtual learning format.
