Guest Author: Sarah T Deutsch, MD
Education for our trainees is a multidisciplinary endeavor and includes guidance from our health professional (HP) team, which includes (but is not limited to) nursing, pharmacists, physical, occupational, and speech therapists, advanced care practitioners, social work, case management, nutritionists, and RTs. We must teach our trainees interprofessional collaboration and ensure our HP team members recognize their valuable educational contributions and are included in teaching opportunities.
Knowledgeability – We must teach our trainees their unique role in patient care and help them understand the role and expertise of our HP team. We must teach collaboration for effective patient care.
Trainees must learn the role, responsibilities, and areas of expertise of those caring for patients in shared clinical space. For example, teaching the differences between physical therapy and occupational therapy assessments, or the specific roles of case management vs. social work. Trainees should have an opportunity to meet with the extended health care team and identify HPs who can serve as resources for trainees when they need guidance and/or support.
Supervising physicians are shaping the community of practice by modeling interprofessional collaboration in day-to-day interactions. Take opportunities to spotlight clinical and educational contributions of HPs with your trainees and point out areas of HP expertise.
Invite HPs to join in the educational team and teaching sessions beyond standard patient care interactions. Program leadership should include HPs in structured workplace learning to allow them to highlight areas of expertise. (i.e., pharmacy education for medication dosing, nutrition education for diabetes management)
HPs should reflect on their contributions to trainee education as they help build clinical confidence. Ensure HPs understand different learning trajectories (i.e., student/resident/fellow). Encourage HPs to identify learning opportunities for trainees and include their input in formal feedback, as they have unique perspectives on trainee development and performance.
Article Reference: Andrea M. Barker, Renée E. Stalmeijer, Abigail W. Konopasky, Jerusalem Merkebu & Kelsey A. Miller (2026). Twelve tips to promote interprofessional workplace learning for medical trainees. Medical Teacher, DOI: www.tandfonline.com/doi/epdf/10.1080/0142159X.2026.2614606?needAccess=true
