Pharmacy Students and Nutrition Students Engage in Distance IPE

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Interprofessional education (IPE) is an important component of experiential education. The COVID-19 pandemic has interrupted interprofessional collaboration among health professions students because many experiential learners are prohibited from participating in direct patient care activities.

To meet requirements of IPE set forth by ACPE and ACEND (the Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics), pharmacy students from Temple University participating in ambulatory care APPE, and graduate nutrition students from Rutgers University, collaborated by Zoom videoconferencing to address optimization of diabetes management. Students and faculty began with discussion of each health professional's role and educational requirements. Pharmacy students then instructed nutrition students on drugs such as GLP1 receptor agonists and SGT2 inhibitors that have cardiovascular and weight loss benefits. Similarly, nutrition students educated pharmacy students on issues related to food insecurity in the urban population and provided evidence-based resources for nutritional interventions. Students found that this approach enhanced their understanding of the complementary roles each profession plays in providing patient care.

This effort was led by ACCP member and ambulatory care clinician Nima Patel-Shori, PGY-2 ambulatory care resident Michelle Patterson (also an ACCP member), and Dietetics Individual Supervised Practice Pathways Coordinator Pinkin Panchal.