IPE Workshop Unites Future Care Providers from Specialities Across Campus

The campus community came together on a Friday afternoon in April in McKenna Gym for the annual Interprofessional Education Workshop. The event brings faculty and students from Seton Hill’s art therapy, physical therapy, nursing, nutrition and dietetics, physician assistant, and social work programs together with community healthcare professionals from a variety of fields to work collaboratively on a patient case and develop a care plan.

Bethany Vargo, MPAS, PA-C, Director of Didactic Education and Associate Professor in the Physician Assistant program, has been in charge of coordinating the workshop with the various program directors since 2022.

"Our annual Interprofessional Education Workshop provides a unique experience for our health-related disciplines,” said Vargo. “This workshop allows for students to learn role recognition and encourages a team-based approach to assessing the patient case and developing a plan.”

The students, representing undergraduate through doctoral level programs, are assigned to teams to discuss their approaches to patient care, with the healthcare professionals - many of whom are Seton Hill alumni - and full-time and adjunct Seton Hill faculty volunteering as table facilitators to guide student learning.

A new addition this year was a collaboration with Seton Hill’s theatre program. The theatre students were given a patient case to present and joined the students from healthcare disciplines at the table to be interviewed by the different specialties.

Students have the opportunity to participate in IPE Day throughout their time on the Hill, growing their knowledge year after year and taking these lessons with them as they move from being a student to a professional.

“Interprofessional education experiences provide valuable resources which students carry forward throughout their entire careers. The foundational skills learned during this event help create future healthcare workers with the ability to communicate more effectively and efficiently,” Vargo said. “This experience also teaches our students how to uphold their own values, and the values of the patient. They are learning not only valuable skills in teamwork, reflection, autonomy, and professionalism, but also the most important value: patient-centered care."