Tuesday, 23 August 2016

New Models in Clinical Education: A Call for Evidence

Regardless of practice setting, the demands on new practitioners include not only clinical competence in evidence-based methods of prevention, assessment, and treatment but additional skill sets. Clinical education, whether in graduate preparation programs or as a component of continuing education, must develop and implement new methodologies for effective clinical training to provide adequate opportunities for acquisition of new skill sets.

Clinical Education
Among the skills that have received increased attention in graduate preparation programs are competencies in interprofessional practice. The Core Competencies for Interprofessional Practice were established by Interprofessional Education Collaborative in 2011. The core competencies include: values/ethics for interprofessional practice, roles/responsibilities, interprofessional communication, and teams/teamwork. According to the American Speech-Language Hearing Association research has indicated “the benefits of interprofessional collaborations in health care that require continuous interaction, coordinated efforts, and knowledge sharing among health care professionals”. The accreditation standards for master’s degree programs in occupational therapy include IPE language and now require that students be able to “effectively communicate and work interprofessionally with those who provide services to individuals, organizations, and/or populations in order to clarify each member’s responsibility in executing an intervention plan”.

In 2013, as ASHA President, Dr. Patricia Prelock summarized that graduate programs in communication disorders varied in the incorporation of IPE into the curriculum. While some programs were beginning to assess how to best address the IPE skill set, others were successfully implementing new models of preparation. While there is emerging evidence on successful methods of incorporating IPE into clinical training in communication disorders, more evidence is needed. 

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