I want to bring you up to date with the evaluation of our Interprofessional Primary Care Course at the University of Washington.* Our final report just came out, showing long-term success in changing primary care knowledge, attitudes, and career plans across health professions, including dentistry, medicine, nursing, nurse practitioners, pharmacy, physician assistants, social work, and public health.
This new study follows students over five years and documents long-term, sustained increases in learners entering careers in primary care, direct PC patient care, and service to vulnerable communities. A parallel controlled study backs up these results.
Phillips WR, Keys T. Interprofessional Primary Care Course Impact on Knowledge, Attitudes, and Careers. Fam Med. 2022;54(9):722-728. doi.org/10.22454/FamMed.2022.167204.
https://journals.stfm.org/familymedicine/2022/october/phillips-2021-0520/
I’m also including a report on one key component of the course, life-changing visits to observe practicing a family doctor taking care of real patients with real problems.
Phillips WR, Fitch JG, Keys T. Practice observation visit for interprofessional training in primary care. Journal of Interprofessional Education & Practice 2022;29: 100558. doi: 10.1016/j.xjep.2022.100558.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2405452622000659
*Our initial description and evaluation of the UW interprofessional primary care course:
Phillips WR, Keyes T. Interprofessional Primary Care Course Curriculum and Evaluation. Family Medicine. 2018;50(3):217-22. doi: 10.22454/FamMed.2018.998057.
https://journals.stfm.org/familymedicine/2018/march/phillips-2017-0202/
Thanks for your interest.
Please share with your co-authors and colleagues.
How do family doctors succeed as leaders in large institutions?
The early pioneers of the rebirth of Family Medicine in the US and Canada moved from their small-town practices to become department chairs, residency program directors, medical school deans, and executives in large healthcare systems. What is it about the lived experience of the family doctor that prepares them for such challenges? Can leaders with such strong connections to patients and communities help medicine find its way out of the current chaos?
See our new article:
Phillips WR, Herbert CP. What makes family doctors the leaders we need in health care? Can Fam Physician. 2022 Nov;68(11):801-802. Doi: 10.46747/cfp.6811801. https://www.cfp.ca/content/68/11/801