photo by: Joselyn King

Wheeling University hosted its ninth-annual Interprofessional Education Training Day Sunday in Troy Hall, with students from different health care disciplines learning how to work together and communicate.

It takes a village of health care professionals to help some patients, and communication across many health care disciplines is vital to achieve that goal, Wheeling University students learned Sunday.

Students from the many health science majors at the school came together Sunday afternoon in the Troy Theatre to learn the importance of working together collaboratively to treat a patient.

The event marked the ninth Interprofessional Education (IPE) training day at WU. Among those participating were students from the athletic training, exercise science, nursing and physical therapy departments, as well as faculty mentors and local healthcare experts.

Professionals leading the panel discussion at the forum were Matthew Burke, clinical specialist in neurological physical therapy and director of rehabilitation at East Ohio Regional Hospital; Michelle Tracy, case manager and supervisor of Medicaid, Medicare and commercial clinical services for The Health Plan; Caroline Beckwith, family nurse practitioner-certified, WVU Medicine Wheeling Hospital; Dr. Tim Knierim, medical director for WVU Medicine Wheeling Hospital Urgent Care and WVU Medicine Reynolds Memorial Hospital Rapid Care; Ryan Rafa, certified physician assistant, certificate of added qualification in psychiatry and registered respiratory therapist; Faith Czmiel, athletic trainer and EMT with Wheeling University; and J. Lance Tarr, associate professor for exercise science and athletic training at WU.

The future health care providers worked in teams to develop a multidisciplinary treatment plan for a fictional injured 20-year-old female soccer player, whose primary language is Spanish.

One of the organizers of the forum was Krissy Grubler, assistant clinical professor of physical therapy at WU.

“Students come together today to interact with our panel of clinicians and learn the roles and responsibilities in interprofessional collaboration for best patient care,” she said.

What students typically learn is that there is a crossover in disciplines between medical healthcare fields, and that they must consider when it is time “for each of us to take the lead,” Grubler explained.

“They learn the importance that you can do the best you can do within your discipline, but if you are not taking information from others — and passing information on to others — there is a breakdown in patient care,” she said.

Grubler said the students should come to appreciate what it means to lean on other health care professionals to achieve the best patient medical care.

Other WU instructors joining Blatt in organizing the event were Nathan Harshberger, instructor of athletic training; Kathy Blatt, exercise science instructor; Rhonda Haley, director of clinical education; and Jill Emery, director of nursing.

“Without teamwork, all else fails,” Harshberger said.

Blatt noted that communication “is key to good personal care” for each patient, while Haley added the physiological component in patient care “can make or break its success.”

The group also addressed conflicts over who should take the lead in a patient’s care. One of the goals of Sunday’s forum was to help students learn how to manage that conflict when it arises, they explained.