Samantha Davis, former clinical associate professor in the Department of Respiratory Care, will represent the profession of respiratory care and the American Association for Respiratory Care through the Interprofessional Education Collaborative. Interprofessional education is when students from two or more professions learn about, from and with each other to enable effective collaboration and improve health outcomes. Students who understand how to work interprofessionally enter the workplace as members of a collaborative practice team, which is a key step in moving health systems from fragmentation to a position of strong patient-centered care.
Davis and other members of the project team were selected to review and revise the 2016 Interprofessional Education Collaborative competencies. These have helped to communicate why interprofessional education and collaborative practice are needed for improving team based patient care and improving population health. The main revisions will revolve around empowering the interprofessional education community, defining competency, and ensuring that the definition of competency accurately reflects changes in research, policy, and practice.
“I am grateful for this opportunity to serve and excited to represent the respiratory care profession in this way! Interprofessional Education is essential to advancing our professions and improving the ways we provide care. For most disciplines in our college, interprofessional collaboration is built into our accreditation standards. The interprofessional education collaborative core competencies provide a framework for interprofessional education and collaborative practice at all levels.”
After the project team offers their proposals, Interprofessional Education Collaborative will collaborate with members, stakeholders, and communities of interest to gather further feedback. This initiative will strengthen Interprofessional Education Collaborative professions and the health system in which education and care is provided.
Davis has a Master of Science in Respiratory Care Leadership from Northeastern University in Boston Massachusetts, and a Graduate Certificate in Healthcare Simulation from Boise State University.
Recently, Davis left her position at Boise State to pursue a career with a national scope. Lutana Haan, Assistant Dean and Associate Professor of the College of Health Sciences said in her farewell, “Samantha is an innovative educator and takes an authentic approach to her role with a focus on the student. Boise State has been fortunate for Samantha’s role as faculty and strong student advocate, and we wish her the best with her future endeavors.”
To effectively address the changing landscape of healthcare, Boise State’s College of Health Sciences is dedicated to educating students with an interprofessional education and collaborative practice focus. The college offers interprofessional education opportunities inside and outside its classrooms.
By: Hannah McNamee