September 12, 2012April 1, 2016 by contributor

Interprofessional education opportunities blossom

Estela Bavugirje (left), a refugee from Burundi, has her blood sugar tested by fourth-semester nursing student Jasmine Smart in the San Antonio Refugee Health Clinic. Nursing, medical, dental and physician assistant students are involved at the clinic to provide care for the refugee population that lives near the campus.

In keeping with the national trend of educating medical and health professionals to have a broader understanding of the teamwork involved in delivering health care services, the UT Health Science Center now has 11 interprofessional courses and a growing number of classes and activities including clinical education experiences, community service learning projects and conferences.

“Interprofessional education is the key to improving communication among health care providers that will lead to health care that is safer, and more timely, effective and patient-centered,” said Jan Patterson, M.D., M.S., chair of the Interprofessional Education Council. “Because we have so many health care disciplines on campus, our Health Science Center has great potential to lead in areas of interprofessional education. There are increasing venues for this in both the standard and elective curricula, and through special activities.”