College Hosts Site for Health Professions Regional Summit

ASAHP participants in collaborative working groups.

The NSU College of Health Care Sciences under the direction of Elizabeth Swann, Ph.D., ATC, FNAP, on June 3, 2022, hosted one of three sites for the Association of Schools Advancing Health Professions (ASAHP) Regional Summit.

From left, Elizabeth Swann, Ph.D., ATC, FNAP, executive director of the Center for Interprofessional Education and Practice, and Kristian Poitier, M.H.S.M., M.B.A, R.N., B.S.N., assistant vice president of the Academic Engagement and Strategies HCA East Florida Division.

This was an unprecedented engagement and collaboration between academic institutions and healthcare organizations joining together to create actions that will yield better health outcomes for patients. HCA Healthcare was our industry partner that provided discussion and feedback during the Summit.

Using the ASAHP Clinical Education Task Force recommendations as a foundation, more than 100 participants at the three locations engaged in intentional conversation about issues within the healthcare systems and what actions can be taken to make things better. Approximately 2/3 of summit participants came from ASAHP member academic institutions and 1/3 came from regional clinical partner organizations.

Throughout the day, each hub brainstormed on actionable ways to bring the patient voice more to the forefront and improve overall health outcomes. Ideas included– finding common ground and language to create a culture of collaboration, finding creative touchpoints for clinical rotations and mentoring, increasing student input, combining resources to increase productivity, and maintaining strong personal connections with patients and families despite expanded use of technology. The summit culminated in a virtual “Harvest Session”, where the three hubs shared their local dialogue on a national level.

Anthony Breitbach, Ph.D., ATC, FASAHP, FNAP, chair of ASAHP’s Interprofessional Task Force at Saint Louis University said, “By bringing healthcare practitioners into the conversation with academic institutions, we are able to have a measurable impact on the training for health care workers of the future.” After this successful event the college of Health Care Sciences is already working toward hosting the summit in 2023.

Posted 10/23/22