Longitudinal Interprofessional Family-Based Experience (LIFE): An Authentic Experiential Interprofessional Education Learning Framework

The Longitudinal Interprofessional Family-Based Experience (LIFE) was developed to address the need for longitudinal, experiential IPE opportunities that bring students together with real patient-family units with an intentional plan for multiple qualitative and quantitative evaluation measures. LIFE engaged 48 early learners from eight health science schools at a large midwestern university in ongoing team skill-based interactions coupled with real patient experiential learning over 11 weeks. Student teams were introduced and encouraged to apply the socio-ecological model (SEM) and social determinants of health (SDH) while collaboratively exploring the impact of the patient-family’s interface with the healthcare system and community during two consecutive patient-family interviews. A creative collaboration with the health system’s Office of Patient Experience, provided eight patients who had experienced chronic illness and treatment in the healthcare system, who engaged with the learners as both teachers as well as evaluators in this experience. LIFE is a framework model that has applicability and adaptability for designing, implementing, and sustaining experiential IPE. Initial summary data regarding outcomes for students are presented as well as considerations to increase accessible and sustainable authentic IPE experiences through untapped patient and community collaborations.