This fall, 1,280 health professional students participated in the Better Together: Preparing for Collaborative Practice experience. Offered through the Center for Interprofessional Health (CIH), Better Together is an interprofessional learning experience in which students engage with peers, health professionals and experts to learn how interprofessional collaboration impacts real world health outcomes.

The majority of student participants are enrolled in 16 health professional degree programs across the University of Minnesota’s Duluth, Rochester, St. Cloud and Twin Cities campuses. An additional 145 students from four health professional degree programs at the College of St. Scholastica, Duluth, also participated in this year’s experience. CIH has partnered with the College of St. Scholastica, Duluth since 2019 to provide their students with richer, more interprofessional learning experiences such as the Better Together experience. 

The Power of Interprofessional Communication

“Better Together is unique in that it brings together students from many different professions to discuss vital topics that concern us all, such as how we can better communicate with patients and each other,” says Amy Greminger, MD, Better Together course director and assistant professor of Family Medicine and Biobehavioral Health, Duluth.

Better Together consists of a 1.5-hour online module and a 2.5-hour live Zoom session. Student participants say they appreciate the opportunity to interact with each other and learn about a wide variety of healthcare professions. 

Another participant shared, “I like how interprofessional collaboration is dissected and emphasized. It isn't talked about enough, but it's often a vital component in the paths to positive healthcare outcomes. Talking with other students and essentially practicing interprofessional collaboration was really valuable to me, because I got to apply the knowledge I learned from the online modules to real-life interactions."

In addition to student participants, this year’s experience also included 100 health professionals and three CIH Affiliate Faculty Ambassadors who co-facilitated the live Zoom session along with Greminger.

“I appreciate the opportunity to moderate the Better Together sessions as a CIH Ambassador. As a medical laboratory scientist, my professional experience underscored the value of overcoming communication barriers, challenging siloed professional interactions, and integrating diverse healthcare perspectives to ensure quality patient care,” says Jennifer Brown, PhD, assistant professor of Medical Laboratory Sciences. “The Better Together experience highlights that interprofessional communication and collaboration skills are foundational to effective teamwork.”

Brown also says the co-facilitator role provided a platform for practicing advanced communication skills and elevating the profile of her profession, while also facilitating interdisciplinary networking and learning from other health professionals regarding their unique contributions to both practice and education. 

Current Health Professionals Share Their Expertise and Experience

Many students said one of the most valuable parts of Better Together was hearing from professionals in the field.

Another student shared, "I felt that by asking the health professional volunteers about their careers was really insightful in hearing real-world examples of healthcare teams and working across different professions. I was surprised by how many different roles interact to provide patients and clients with the best care possible."