Education without walls: Using a street medicine program to provide real-world interprofessional learning

Street medicine: An interprofessional elective to address the unhoused population crisis

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

The homelessness crisis continues to escalate nationwide, yet many healthcare providers are not adequately prepared to provide care for unhoused patients. An interprofessional Street Medicine elective was developed to address identified knowledge gaps in the unhoused population healthcare needs.

EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITY AND SETTING

The course comprised didactic and clinical elements focused on empathetic communication, resource utilization, and medical management for unhoused patients. Course learning outcomes were evaluated via thematic analysis of students' post-course reflective essays. Additionally, students completed a voluntary survey to evaluate course effectiveness in preparing students for healthcare in the unhoused population and to identify areas for course improvement.

FINDINGS

Thirty students completed the course (17 osteopathic medical, five pharmacy, eight joint physician assistant/public health). All enrolled students submitted mandatory post-course reflections and 57% completed the voluntary survey. Thematic analysis of reflections indicated that the course content challenged biases toward unhoused populations, equipped students with new perspectives on the unique healthcare needs for unhoused patients, and provided interprofessional approaches to address these needs. Voluntary survey results demonstrated students' preparedness to provide effective care for local unhoused patients without bias or stigma. Most students reported they were likely to incorporate the knowledge/skills acquired from the course in their future clinical practice and were satisfied with the course content and organization.

SUMMARY

The Street Medicine elective provided a structured interprofessional curricular opportunity on specialized care for unhoused individuals. This course can be adapted by other healthcare professional programs to empower students to address the growing homelessness crisis.

Addressing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusivity Contributions in Academic Review

BACKGROUND

The nursing profession and academic environments are increasingly calling for nurse educators to incorporate diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) goals and actions into their professional practice. Such work aligns with institutional and professional missions of social justice and antiracism.

PROBLEM

Historically, there has been an undervaluing and lack of recognition in academia of DEI contributions and qualitative or community-based research focused on health equity. This lack of recognition may disproportionately impact faculty who focus their scholarship and research on marginalized communities.

APPROACH

The current state of the academic review of DEI contributions for appointment, promotion, and tenure is presented. Examples for teaching, research and scholarship, practice, and service are provided.

OUTCOMES

Recommendations include expanding recognition and evaluation of academic scholarship and advocacy against efforts to dismantle social justice and antiracism advances within academia.

CONCLUSION

Examining hegemonic norms is vital to promote more equitable power structures in academic environments.