PHARM 6820 - IPE Surgical Navigator: Transitions of Care

The Surgical Care Navigator course is an inter-professional experience intended to provide students with an introduction to transitions of care in clinical practice. Students will participate as part of an interprofessional team consisting of 1-3 other health professions students (physician assistant, nurse, nurse practitioner, pharmacy, medical) in a progressive, simulated patient encounter over a 3-week period. Each week information regarding the fictitious surgical patient will be presented on an electronic platform and students will work as a team to address patient issues/questions/concerns as this patient moves through various phases in their surgical care. This will additionally foster the sharing of care perspectives and experience levels between learners. Student teams will also follow a real surgical patient throughout the entire cycle of care, including pre-operative assessment, peri-operative inpatient care, and post-discharge follow up as observers. They will interview patients once at each of these time points using a predesigned script to investigate patient perspectives on care transitions. Asynchronous learning through an online discussion platform will provide additional opportunities for inter-professional reflection and learning.