A mixed-methods evaluation of an interprofessional clinical education model serving students, faculty, and the community.

The clinical learning environment significantly affects students' preparedness to enter practice. Nursing programs may struggle securing relevant clinical sites necessary for student learning and meeting accreditation standards. Programs must be creative in developing community-based experiences that facilitate students' learning. However, authentic interprofessional practice is often missing. We evaluated how an interprofessional clinical education model provided preventive health services through a faculty-student-led clinic and delivered an effective avenue to educate health profession students while serving the community. The model was implemented as a pilot project over the course of one semester. We used mixed-methods to analyze data from pre/post-instruments and focus groups to gain a comprehensive understanding of the effect of the model on students, faculty, and the community. Student growth in interprofessional competencies, measured with the Interprofessional Education Collaborative Self-Assessment Tool and the Interprofessional Socialization and Valuing Scale, indicates significant difference pre/post-participation. Four themes were identified from the focus groups highlighting the impact of the clinical education model: interprofessional teamwork, an unorthodox learning environment, delivery of primary and secondary prevention in the community, and reaching underserved populations. This clinical education model has promising utility in providing an interprofessional clinical learning environment while serving the community.

Factors influencing healthcare utilization within a free community clinic.

The purpose was to explore the relationship between the presence of a free community clinic and factors associated with utilization of healthcare through a secondary data analysis. Using a descriptive correlational design, results were analyzed to explore relationships between potential utilization of healthcare, identification of a regular source of healthcare, and health insurance status. Most subjects would not seek healthcare if the free community clinic was not available. Subjects with health insurance were significantly more likely to have a regular source of healthcare and seek healthcare in the absence of the free community clinic. Subjects with a regular source of healthcare were significantly more likely to seek healthcare in the absence of the free community clinic. Emergency room utilization was not impacted by regular source of healthcare or health insurance. This study supports the need for free community clinics in areas with high percentages of uninsured, immigrant, and refugee populations.