OCC and Upstate Students Collaborate on Patient Care

Critical scenario: There's been a serious accident and there is an urgent need for acute medical care. A 48-year-old male is rushed to the hospital following a head-on car crash. He lost consciousness briefly upon impact, was trapped in the vehicle for a lengthy period of time before being extricated, has an open leg break, and a nerve injury to his leg. During his initial examination by a Physical Therapist it is discovered he also has what is known as "foot drop," meaning he has difficulty lifting the front part of his foot.

Which problems should be addressed first? What additional tests and measures should be recommended? How can Physical Therapists and Physical Therapist Assistants communicate and work together to best serve the patient?

That scenario was one of several which students from Onondaga Community College's Physical Therapist Assistant program and SUNY Upstate Medical University's Doctorate Physical Therapy program worked through together. Both groups spent an afternoon collaborating, doing table-top problem-solving in OCC's Physical Therapist Assistant Lab in Ferrante Hall.

"Their interaction went really well! The students engaged in productive and energetic conversations as they learned more about each other's role and responsibilities in patient care," said Kristen Lounsbery, PT, DPT, MSEd, ACCE who is Coordinator of OCC's PTA Program.

"I loved observing how the students brought the strengths of their respective programs into the case discussions. Often the informal conversations are the pieces the students value the most," said Dr. Darryl Young, PT, DPT, WCS of SUNY Upstate.

This has become an annual event  for Professors Lounsbery and Young who bring their students together each fall semester. They stress to their students the core competencies for interprofessional collaborative practice which include strong values and ethics, knowing each person's role and responsibility, communicating properly and respectfully, and working together as a team.

"We are fortunate to have a close relationship with OCC's PTA program. This relationship allows us to create opportunities for students from both programs to learn from, with, and about each other to help prepare them for future collaborations that improve the patient experience," said Dr. Young.

"This collaboration is extremely valuable. It's wonderful to provide students with learning experiences that can be applied to their future careers, Any opportunity to emphasize real world expectations related to professionalism, interprofessional communications, and values and ethics among the health care team is beneficial to students," said Lounsbery.

Personally, I was able to get a sense of how this type of team building would be very helpful in future classes," said OCC student Lisa Reissig. "This exercise, for both the PTAs in our class and the DPTs from Upstate, was an opportunity to enhance that understanding to foster collaborative relationships in our future employment."

Physical Therapist Assistant is one of 18 health-related degree and certificate program in OCC's School of Health, Wellness & Human Services, providing students direct-to-work and transfer opportunities. You can learn more by visiting the School's webpage. Multiple School of Health, Wellness & Human Services Information Sessions are scheduled throughout the month of December. You can find a calendar here.