Linking Interprofessional Community Health Experiences With Nursing Education: 15 Years and Counting

Margaret A Hadinger; Mary Ellen Miller; Abby Letcher

doi:10.1097/NNE.0000000000001731

Linking Interprofessional Community Health Experiences With Nursing Education: 15 Years and Counting

Nurse Educ. 2024 Sep 5. doi: 10.1097/NNE.0000000000001731. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Margaret A Hadinger¹, Mary Ellen Miller, Abby Letcher

Affiliation

¹ Author Affiliations: Executive Director, Academic Success, OnlineMedEd, Emmaus, Pennsylvania (Dr Hadinger); Nursing, DeSales University, Center Valley, Pennsylvania (Dr Miller); Department of Family Medicine, Lehigh Valley Health Network, Allentown, Pennsylvania (Dr Letcher); and University of South Florida Morsani College of Medicine, Allentown, Pennsylvania (Dr Letcher).

PMID: 39250226
DOI: 10.1097/NNE.0000000000001731

Abstract

Background: Ensuring that nurses and other health care professionals are trained to work together in teams is critical.

Problem: Recent literature describes interprofessional education (IPE) programs that meet community health needs. However, there is a need for descriptions of IPE programs embedded in the communities they serve.

Approach: Bridging the Gaps (BTG) is a collaboration between academic health institutions/universities and community organizations in the northeastern United States. BTG links IPE with the provision of health-related services for under resourced communities. This article describes the development of one BTG Community Health Internship Program (BTG CHIP) affiliate site (BTG, Lehigh Valley).

Outcomes: Since inception, 114 interns completed the program as part of BTG CHIP, Lehigh Valley, for a total of 3192 days of service provided to the community. BTG CHIP, Lehigh Valley, serves as a case study for establishing similar community-based IPE programs. This article describes challenges, opportunities, and replication strategies.