Training Health Care Professionals in Interprofessional Collaborative Cancer Care

摘要

Today’s health care professionals need training to be able to practice in an interprofessional collaborative environment. Trainees learning to provide quality cancer care benefit from exposure to and immersion in interprofessional patient centered team-based care. A large Midwestern Veterans Affairs Medical Center was awarded a three year grant to integrate interdisciplinary and interprofessional collaborative practice into an ambulatory cancer clinic and to train interdisciplinary health care professional learners in this model of cancer care. A core curriculum was developed to prepare trainees in veteran-centered collaborative cancer care, and clinical experiences were designed to involve trainees in the care provided by all disciplines. The impact of this interprofessional model of care on patient and trainee outcomes is emphasized. Feasibility and sustainability of the model are also discussed.