Students Participate in Interprofessional Grand Rounds

June 9, 2021

A discussion in October 2020 between eight Georgia Southern University faculty members on the Interprofessional Education Committee came into fruition this past April in the form of a Virtual Interprofessional Grand Rounds.

The idea of Grand Rounds originally started as a weekly educational activity in teaching hospitals and healthcare institutions with residents and healthcare staff listening to short presentations of patient cases. Growing from this idea, several faculty began planning.

“As we planned and described our idea, to our surprise, more and more health professionals wanted to join us,” stated Janet Buelow, Ph.D. The intention of the conference was to help attendees understand the functions of health professions in the context of patient or community health and practice collaboration to meet specific healthcare needs effectively and efficiently.

Short case studies were presented by different health professions students in Folio prior to the event. During the event, 300 students were broken into 18 teams led by the following Georgia Southern faculty members: Helen Taggart, Ph.D., Myka Bussey-Campbell, M.Ed., Steve Patterson, Ed.D., Amy Chall, MLS, Bobbie Jo Newell, M.Ed., Sharan Zirges, PT, Frances Mercado-Rodriguez, DHSc, Casey Keck, Ph.D., April Garrity, Ph.D., Sheri Carey, DNP, Keith Belcher, Ph.D., Esma Campbell, M.P.H., Christy Moore, DHSc., Kat Tremblay, MSN, Rose Mary Gee, Ph.D., Yvonne Dillon, BSRS, Shaunell McGee, M.H.A., and Peggy Mossholder, Ph.D.

After meeting with their team to discuss their case study, attendees were brought back together to debrief and ask questions with the entire group.

“Interprofessional collaboration is about improving health outcomes of our citizens and lowering the costs of American healthcare services,” stated Buelow. “Studies have demonstrated that collaborative care of multiple health professions saves lives and lowers costs. Yet, in most universities, health professions students can graduate without even being introduced to the rich diversity of health professions and what each contributes in the healthcare arena. Our Grand Rounds gave students an opportunity to watch what other health professions can do and to actually talk with these professions in small groups.”

Over 20 health professionals from the fields of nursing, speech and language pathology, athletic training, medical laboratory science, health services administration, sonography, respiratory therapy and public health participated in the two-hour virtual event.