My prior professional experience in various roles and fields in higher education taught me the importance of interdisciplinary approaches and collaboration. TEAM UP introduced me to interprofessionalism in healthcare and showed me the importance of effective interprofessional education and collaborative practice. Under the mentorship of Dr. Nicholas Mosca, DDS, DrPH, I pursued experiences in each of the four pillars of the Interprofessional Scholars Program. Education: as prior university faculty, I was excited to serve on the TEAM UP Student Committee from 2021-2023 to contribute to interprofessional education at LSUHSC. Leadership: a fellow TEAM UP Student Committee member and I worked together to develop a team from the various schools at LSUHSC to design an educational experience to teach students in all healthcare programs about oral cancer and oral cancer screenings. Scholarship: I was fortunate to participate in a panel at the 2024 ADEA Annual Session with students, faculty, and administrators on interprofessional education at practice at LSUHSC. Practice Outreach: the culmination of my interprofessional experiences was a clerkship at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center and the Naval Postgraduate Dental School resulting in a SWOT analysis of the state of interprofessional collaborative practice in the US Navy and at WRNMMC/NPDS. My prior business operations experience taught me the importance of operationalizing change. My Interprofessional Scholars Program experiences gave me the opportunity to observe process improvement methodologies applied to interprofessional education and practice and to implement those concepts myself. The skills and experiences I gained through TEAM UP and the Interprofessional Scholars Program have already had a tremendous impact on the care I provide my patients, and I know they will continue to make me a better healthcare professional, dentist, and naval officer throughout my career.

After my first year in clinical rotations and my first internship in hospital management it became evident to me that health systems were failing patients in many ways due to the lack of interprofessional collaboration. After having this disheartening realization, I found myself in a TEAM UP^TM meeting -at the same table with soon to be dentists, medical doctors, dental assistants, physical therapists, and other health professionals and realized that we all saw the flaw and wanted what was best for our patients. Understanding that many of the downfalls in health care come from the lack of communication and not from the lack of care, knowledge, or research helped me find my passion in growing the practice of interprofessional collaboration. The IP Scholars Program paired me with an amazing mentor, Thanh Nguyen, who showed me the importance of interprofessional collaboration in community and primary care to acute and rehabilitative care. Embarking in the IP Scholars Program set my foundation for interprofessional collaboration and gave me many opportunities that have helped me become a better healthcare advocate, leader, student, and future nurse.

Interprofessional collaboration felt second-nature to me in my career before attending nursing school. Therefore, it was a pleasant surprise to learn that TEAM UP and interprofessional education (IPE) were incorporated into our formal curriculum at LSUHSC. I knew that I wanted to have IPE remain at the forefront of my academic career and jumped at the opportunity to become an Interprofessional (IP) Scholar. While navigating the fast-paced CARE program in the School of Nursing, Dr. Allison Augustus-Wallace, my incredible mentor, and I developed creative ways to interweave IPE into my journey. The flexibility of this program allowed the pillars that I chose to pursue – education, research, outreach – to become core to the opportunities that I sought while participating in classroom discussions and clinical rotations. Through these pillars, I had the privilege of presenting with fellow Scholars and mentors about the IP Scholars program at the 2023 Nexus Summit, pursuing basic science research in the Department of Physiology, and observing IP rounds with the Heart of Hospice. While reflecting on the fond memories formed from each experience, it became clear that a Venn Diagram forms through IP collaboration. Each profession has its unique set of standards, values, and skills, where the overlap of each specialty working together produces high quality, patient-centered care. I thank the IP Scholars Program for enhancing my time in nursing school and inspiring me to encourage future colleagues to find similar overlaps in learning for our patients.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In medical school, I was introduced to the value of interprofessional collaboration (IPC) through TEAM UP, gaining insight into multidisciplinary healthcare delivery. My early education involved hands-on community projects and evolved into practical experiences in hospital settings, particularly during my surgery rotation. Here, the importance of teamwork in enhancing patient care was vividly demonstrated. Any lapse in teamwork underscored the risks to patient safety and the need for consistent collaboration.

Pursuing the Interprofessional Scholars Program, under Dr. Gunaldo's guidance, furthered my commitment to IPC. I co-directed a pre-health IPC program, strengthening leadership skills and understanding of healthcare team dynamics. Mentorship by Dr. Shelley Cohen Konrad at the University of New England reinforced my drive to integrate IPC with patient care.

I plan to use my training in medicine, public health, and interprofessional collaboration in my future career to develop solutions for addressing health disparities and social determinants of health in surgery. My goal is to further explore team dynamics in surgical outcomes and educate future healthcare professionals in IPC. By fostering an environment where collaborative care is the norm and not the exception, I hope to influence systemic improvements in patient care practices as well.

Interprofessional collaboration that leads to effective healthcare teams and the seamless integration of medical and dental services has always held significant value for me. During my dental education, I actively pursued opportunities focused on enhancing teamwork through both educational and field experiences. Participating in the IP Scholars Program allowed me to tailor a comprehensive learning plan aimed at advocating for the inclusion of dentistry within interprofessional leadership teams. Balancing the demands of my dental school curriculum, clinical responsibilities, and diverse interprofessional traineeships provided me with a newfound perspective on collaborative practice and the associated challenges. This experience has equipped me to address obstacles in interprofessional settings effectively. Looking ahead, I am eager to apply the insights gained as an IP Scholar to enhance patient-centered care. My aspiration is for this knowledge to translate to improved outcomes and an elevated standard of care for my future patients.

My involvement began when I got involved with the Student Team Up™ committee during my first and second years of medical school. This was an amazing opportunity to impact the curriculum about future healthcare providers interacting with each other to provide the best patient care possible. Being involved in those committees and other projects through IPECP furthered my interest and passion to foster strong connections within the hospital setting. This program was a way to channel that enthusiasm while getting to see the intricacies of higher education. It was amazing to see the theory we talked about in the classroom come to life in the clinical setting. Seeing the rounds that included different professions of healthcare put into perspective the individual goals different providers had for the patient. The lenses these providers viewed patient care allowed them to highlight problems and solutions that I would have never thought about. It really is all about teamwork to give the patient the best care possible.

I served as an Interprofessional Student Alliance board member and a New Orleans Women and Children's Shelter Coordinator and had reached out to Dr. Gunaldo about assisting with Team Up™ presentation grading. Dr. Gunaldo suggested that I pursue the designation. This experience allowed me to pursue with intention interprofessional growth and emphasized the importance of interprofessional education. I have received such great support throughout the entire process which I feel has allowed me to flourish. This experience has not only made my medical school experience more well-rounded but will also have a strong, positive impact on my future career as a psychiatrist.

I began my time in the IP Scholars program serving on the Team Up™ Committee, where I revised and improved the interprofessional curriculum. I plan to carry my love for education and collaborative practice into my future career as an academic surgeon. I also used the experience to reflect on best team practices and roles of other healthcare providers. The healthcare team's goal is to help the patient. But helping the patient means something different to me, as a surgeon, than it does to the occupational therapist or to the dentist or to other members of the patient care team. Being mindful of how we frame our individual goals, present pertinent information, and communicate with the other members of the team will help the patient care team deliver the best care possible.