Interprofessional education to enhance integration of medical students into labor and delivery

Abstract In the L&D setting, especially in high risk academic centers, medical students often, though unintentionally, may be excluded from care given the pace and sensitive nature of this field. Additionally, students are often paired with residents who manage multiple patients simultaneously, limiting the students’ ability to experience the full spectrum of labor care. Here we describe the development, implementation, and evaluation of an interprofessional education (IPE) program within the Obstetrics clerkship at a university-based allopathic medical school whereby students are paired to L&D nurses for a portion of their clerkship. During this pilot, students were paired with nurses for a shift managing labor and a half-shift managing neonatal transitions to extrauterine life and encouraged to participate actively in all aspects of patient care. A voluntary and anonymous post-experience survey was developed by subject matter experts and included a validated IPE instrument. This was distributed to both participating groups at the end of the clerkship. Results demonstrated that the addition of an IPE to the Obstetrics sub-clerkship was low cost, feasible, and may improve unit culture. Both medical students and L&D nurses perceived personal benefit and a positive impact on unit culture from an IPE. For medical students, IPE improved their Ob/Gyn clerkship experience. The following resources are included: student handbook overview and instructions, student and nurse surveys.