On a Saturday morning in McKenna Gym, a different kind of teamwork took place on the court. Students from six of Seton Hill’s healthcare programs joined together in teams to discuss their approaches to patient care, ground in each of their disciplines and expertise – much as they would in the real world.

This IPE, or interprofessional education, workshop has healthcare disciplines from the undergraduate through doctoral levels come together to work collaboratively on a patient case and develop a care plan.

Bethany Vargo, MPAS, PA-C, Director of Didactic Education and Associate Professor in the Physician Assistant program, has been in charge of coordinating the workshop with the various program directors since 2022.

“The IPE workshop emphasizes placing the patient first and working collaboratively with other professionals which can improve patient care plans and lead to better patient outcomes,” Vargo said. “This event gives the students an opportunity to learn about other health professions, while listening and respecting other opinions, experiences, and knowledge.”

Community healthcare professionals - many of whom are Seton Hill alumni - and full-time and adjunct Seton Hill faculty volunteer as table facilitators at the event to guide student learning. This year, 136 students from the Physician Assistant, Physical Therapy, Art Therapy / Counseling, Nursing, Nutrition & Dietetics, and Social Work programs teamed up to review a fictitious patient case presentation, come up with a treatment plan, and present their findings.

Leo Radziwon, a second year Doctor of Physical Therapy Student from Greensburg, Pa., has been participating in the IPE workshop since he was a sophomore in the undergraduate Clinical Exercise Science program.

“My biggest takeaway from IPE Day is that interprofessional collaboration should startearly in our healthcare education,” he said. “From the start, I have felt that the values being instilled have created a foundation of mutual respect and understanding among the various disciplines.”

This year, Leo gained a particular appreciation of Art Therapy and its role in his patient’s case.

“Before this event, I had limited knowledge of what Art Therapists could contribute in a clinical setting. Through the IPE activity and discussion, I gained a greater appreciation for how Art Therapy can promote emotional healing, self-expression, and overall well-being, especially for individuals who may struggle to communicate through traditional means,” Leo said. “In my case, we saw a patient who had trisomy 21 and also did not speak English. The Art Therapist was able to provide an avenue of self-expression and effective communication for our patient.”

Leo plans on going into travel physical therapy and pursuing a dual speciality in neurology and orthopedics. As he nears the end of his program, Leo has been reflecting on the experiences he will take forward with him into his career.

“This experience emphasized time and time again how crucial it is for all team members to be aligned in their treatment goals and to understand when a patient might benefit more from a referral to another discipline. As providers, it’s our responsibility to advocate for the most appropriate care – sometimes that means knowing our limits within ourselves or our specialty and recognizing when another specialist’s intervention is needed above our own,” Leo said. “Participating in IPE Day at Seton Hill has allowed me to develop skills that reflect what is seen in interdisciplinary teamwork in real-world healthcare settings.”

Candice Ashbaugh, a graduate student in the Nutrition and Dietetics program from Verona, Pa., had only heard about the program from her classmates before participating for the first time this year. While she had fun working with the other students, she also walked away seeing the importance of collaboration.

“I learned that no matter what your background or major is, you have valuable information to contribute. It was interesting to see how the other student professionals would approach the situation. Everyone knows something different or looks at situations in a different light,” Candice said. “It felt great that we all wanted the best for our ‘patient’ and worked together to help the patient as best as we could. I left feeling more ready to become a future Registered Dietitian.”

Audrey Moon, a student in the Master of Physician Assistant Studies program from Bel Air, Md., also wasn’t sure what to expect from the exercise but relished the opportunity to see her team come together over the course of the day.

“I loved working with my care team at the IPE event! My group was very vocal and collaborative. It was a great experience to meet new people and share ideas with one another,” Audrey said. “At first, we were all a little timid, however, once we focused on the objective of patient care, we were able to build on top of each other's opinions and perspectives.”

Audrey noted that the IPE event was a great way to learn about the different disciplines and their scope of practice. Their team had perspectives from physical therapy about pain management, dietetics on nutrition and glucose management, nursing on wound care and home health, and mental health from art therapy all while considering the financial aspects of the care plan from a social work perspective.

“All of these aspects were taken into account for building an efficient, patient-centered treatment plan. Effective patient care relies on teamwork and communication; diverse knowledge and perspectives are essential to achieving the best outcomes,” she said. “The event helped me realize the value of team-based problem solving and its impact in the classroom and out in clinical practice.”

Though Audrey isn’t yet sure of her speciality or exact career plans after graduation, the recipient of the Health Profession Scholarship Program through the Air Force plans on pursuing a career through military service.

“With these experiences, I have gained confidence in understanding my role as a Physician Assistant in healthcare, as well as learned new personal strengths and weaknesses while working with a team. I have learned that teamwork means it's okay not to know everything – asking questions and seeking help is part of the process,” she said. “I hope to carry this learning experience forward by collaborating with others and gaining confidence through the shared expertise of different professions.”