Health Care Team Challenge: A Versatile Model for Interprofessional Education

Abstract

Abstract Introduction The Health Care Team Challenge (HCTC) is an innovative, versatile, low-cost interprofessional learning activity that is used to simulate real-life team-based problem solving. It features a clinical, case-based competition between two or more interprofessional teams of students representing at least two health and social service disciplines. Methods Teams are instructed to work collaboratively to formulate a patient-centered plan of care. On the day of the event, the teams present their plans in front of a live audience of faculty, peers, and community members. Then, teams are given additional information relevant to the case, challenging each team to adjust its management plan to incorporate the new data. At the conclusion of the event, an interprofessional panel of judges evaluates the teams. Teams are judged on both the quality of the management plan and the level of. All team participants, judges, and event sponsors receive recognition for their involvement. Results At the conclusion of the event, students completed an online evaluation for the purpose of improving future HCTC events. All of the students (N = 54) stated that participating in the HCTC was worth their time. Discussion From the perspective of faculty and students, the HCTC successfully provides an interactive learning opportunity to develop the knowledge, skills, and attitudes outlined in the Interprofessional Education Collaborative core competencies.

Keywords

• Interprofessional Education Collaboration (IPEC)
• Multiprofessional Teamwork
• HCTC