By Tiffany Perry, MMSc, PA-C, and Kimberly Dawkins, DMSc, PA-C

At South University Physician Assistant Program, West Palm Beach (SUPAWPB), we pride ourselves on our mission and vision and the dedicated faculty and community resources available to our students. Compacted into a 27-month program, our students learn the art and science of medicine, but at the end of the day, we are all integrally part of a team. This part of the education begins early in the didactic phase of the program with our quarterly Interprofessional Education (IPE) activity. With virtual and in-person activities, our students learn to collaborate with healthcare professional students from nursing, pharmacists, mental health counselors, and physicians.

IPE, activities are necessary when preparing students to join a healthcare team where collaboration is essential for patient care and improving overall healthcare outcomes. PA students learn to bridge the gap between the different disciplines to improve problem-solving skills among team members. There are five themes IPE core competencies can be summarized into: Roles and responsibilities, ethical practice, conflict resolution, communication, and collaboration and teamwork. Students engage in IPE through virtual and in-person events, including case-based learning. Earlier this year, didactic students participated in a virtual IPE event discussing cases concerning malpractice versus negligence. The consensus from the students was the importance of preventing medical errors by working as an interprofessional team. One student who enjoyed the event said, “Talking about the case with professionals from various fields made me see how similar yet different our medical education is. It emphasized how teamwork is vital in healthcare. I learned that collaborating with experts from diverse areas is essential for improving patient care. The experience provided a supportive and respectful environment where we could freely share our opinions and communicate effectively”.

SUPAWPB students also partake in IPE when participating in an annual Back-to-School Fair for Palm Beach Country school students. Since 2022, South University PA and Nursing programs have been asked to provide back-to-school physicals for hundreds of underserved children throughout the county. This year, we are continuing with this tradition to plant the seed of community, collaboration, and teamwork. Students can communicate and work as a team with other healthcare professional students. Before this event, didactic students learn about pediatric physical exams, enhance their understanding of the Palm Beach Community, and then apply what they learn with the collaboration of the clinical year and nursing students.

Showing our students how to build bridges with other disciplines and specialties is a way for us to establish the root of optimal patient centered healthcare. As these professions collaborate among the healthcare team, combining skills and knowledge as well as trust, communication, and respect, will allow us to provide the most comprehensive care. By creating these connections, healthcare teams can ensure delivery of high quality, compassionate care that meets the complex needs of patients throughout our communities.

For more information about the PA program at South University West Palm Beach, please visit our website at: https://www.southuniversity.edu/west-palm-beach/physician-assistant-ms