Posted: 12/21/2010
Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing (JHUSON) assistant professor Kathleen Becker, DNP, RN, CRNP will study interprofessional education in the care of complex community dwelling adults using a portion of a substantial five-year financial gift from the Worth B. Daniels family.
The study will specifically focus on internal medicine interns and residents from Bayview Hospital, part of the Johns Hopkins Hospital system. Becker will collaborate with Hopkins School of Medicine (SOM) faculty member Laura Hanyok, MD, meet with the students and residents three times over a one-month period, and focus on experiencing interprofessional learning with faculty facilitation, examining perspectives of colleagues from other health professions, and understanding how team work can contribute to better care.
“During the fall [2010 semester] the students spend one session discussing assumptions about each other’s discipline, training, experience, and practice,” said Becker. “They spend the remaining two sessions on problem-based learning. In the spring 2011 semester, adult nurse practitioner (ANP) students will work with residents from Bayview jointly managing a small cohort of patients in their homes for four weeks,” Becker explains.
The source of Becker’s funding, also known as the “Daniels Initiative” was created specifically for the purpose of helping nursing and medical students and resident physicians learn the skills of interprofessional collaboration. Such interprofessional education occurs when two or more professions learn with, from, and about each other to improve collaboration and quality of care.