Working Together for the Greater Good of Patients

A team of students from the School of Nursing and the School of Medicine recently placed third in the national Interprofessional Case Competition (CLARION) in Minneapolis. The team received a $2,500 Premier Richard Norling Scholarship.

Eleven universities participated in the competition, including the University of Minnesota, University of Missouri, Dartmouth College, Case Western Reserve and Creighton University.

In spring 2010, a new course, Root Cause Analysis for Interprofessional Team Members, was offered. Interested students in the course applied to be a part of the university's first CLARION team. Team members were selected based on qualifications specified by CLARION.

The online course offered individual knowledge and skill acquisition related to root-cause analysis, quality improvement, culture of safety communication and utilized guest experts to present topics relevant to patient cases.

The culmination of the course was a competition among two local CLARION teams. All students enrolled in the course contributed to the acquisition of skills and knowledge of their peers. The local competition required each team to present a case analysis to a panel of interprofessional judges. The team’s presentation was critiqued utilizing the CLARION evaluation rubric.

TTUHSC team members included Diana Jolles from the School of Nursing, and Shamini Parameswaran and Meera Subash from the School of Medicine.

In the future, administrators plan to expand the course over two semesters and open it up to all students. Part one will begin in the fall and is offered to all students interested in attaining advanced skills related to resolving adverse patient events with an interprofessional team approach.

In 2009, TTUHSC implemented a Quality Enhancement Plan focusing on interprofessional teamwork. The plan was created in response to a requirement by the university's regional accreditation agency to support the effectiveness of the learning environment promoting student learning and accomplishing the institution’s mission. Participation in CLARION was selected as one of the strategies to promote interprofessional teamwork.

The goal of CLARION is to improve patient safety and the quality of care through the promotion and development of interprofessional leadership, teamwork and communication.

For more information about the Root Cause Analysis for Interprofessional Team Members course, email Meghan Reid.