On August 26, the College of Allied Health Sciences’ Interprofessional Education Committee and the Center for Instructional Innovation organized an event called Escape the Exam Room. This activity, which started in 2022, has now been held four times and involved nearly 600 allied health graduate students.
The escape room was developed through collaboration between the IPE Committee and the Center for Instructional Innovation. Jeff Mastromonico, director of Instructional Innovation with the Center for Instructional Innovation, said, “It is great to see how the result of our collaboration has impacted and engaged so many students,” expressing his excitement about being part of the event again.
The main goal of this learning activity is to improve interprofessional education (IPE) by emphasizing teamwork among different health disciplines while focusing on patient-centered care. During this year’s event, more than 160 students from five graduate programs—Speech-Language Pathology, Physician Assistant, Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy, and Nutrition and Dietetics—were divided into 29 groups. Each group worked together to develop a treatment plan for a fictional patient using clues found in the escape room setting. The event also included an icebreaker at the start and a reflection session at the end.
Students who participated reported that they gained a better understanding of patients’ needs by taking a holistic approach. They also noted that working as a team across disciplines leads to better patient outcomes and learned that seeking help from others is sometimes necessary in healthcare settings.
Joann Denemark, PhD, program director of Speech-Language Pathology and IPE committee member, stated: “The IPE committee members are incredibly grateful for the CII team’s creativity and collaboration in bringing this innovative learning experience to life. Student feedback has been overwhelmingly positive, with many requesting an escape room every semester. This experience is not only engaging students but also helping shape their professional identities and transform the future of health care through meaningful interprofessional collaboration.”
