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SALISBURY, MD---More than 130 students in disciplines affiliated with ºÚÁÏÍø’s new College of Health and Human Services (CHHS) recently participated in an Inter-Professional Education Conference.

“Students had the opportunity to interact in a way that will become an expectation for them as they graduate and pursue careers in health and human service fields,” said Dr. Kelly Fiala, CHHS transitional dean. “The event was fantastic with positive energy.”

Students worked together on two breakout case scenarios on traumatic brain injury and substance abuse, and heard a keynote address by Dr. Robert Wellmon, a physical therapist and associate professor at Widener University’s Institute for Physical Therapy Education.

“I hope students learn the importance of being able to work together,” Wellmon said, adding that he also wanted them to “begin to understand other disciplines and respect what they do,” as that is important for patient care.

“I now know what different disciplines bring to the table and how they can be utilized,” said Kristen Murphy, a senior nursing major, who will join the University of Maryland Medical Center this summer. “Information learned from this conference will assist me in beginning my career by helping me feel comfortable in communicating with professionals throughout the hospital. I also have more confidence in offering my own contributions in the team setting.”

Ben Meister, a senior exercise science major who hopes to conduct research on muscle metabolism, said:  “It was interesting to see how you can apply things learned in a research setting in a clinical setting. When you collaborate, it helps to fill gaps between disciplines. Events like CHHS IPE remind me that in order to have a positive influence on other people it is important to collaborate with other professionals to maximize the care that patients receive.” 

The event was organized by members of the CHHS Faculty Learning Committee.

“The faculty worked hard, collaborating throughout the academic year to provide students an opportunity to engage across disciplines,” Fiala said. “The experience allowed students to debunk stereotypes that are sometimes assigned to health and human services professionals.”

“It was exciting to hear all of the discussions,” said Dr. Nicole Hall of SU’s Nursing Department. “Everyone was able to bring something to the table and the input was really valuable.  It reminded you of the worth of all the different disciplines.”

Represented at the one-day conference were faculty, staff and students from nursing, respiratory therapy, social work, medical laboratory science, community health, exercise science and athletic training.  

Pictured above, from left, is Taylor Hall, nursing student; Dr. Dorothea Winter, nursing faculty; Wellmon; Dr. Jeffrey Willey, School of Nursing director; Dr. Lisa Joyner, respiratory therapy faculty; Fiala; and Dr. Robert Joyner, School of Health Sciences director. 

For more information, call 410-543-6030 or visit the SU website at www.salisbury.edu.