TOMBALL, TX: Death and dying, subjects no one likes to talk about, but eventually, parts of life we’ll all have to deal with, were the topics of Lone Star College Tomball’s first health occupations programs interprofessional event. This interdisciplinary session is an example of the thoughtfully tailored, holistic LSC-Tomball education that is preparing the whole student for careers in the healthcare industry.
“Every healthcare professional, no matter their specialty, will care for patients who are suffering from some sort of loss. If not death, it could be the loss of the ability to eat on their own or dress themselves,” said Terra Ruppert, PhD, OTR, director of LSC-Tomball Occupational Therapy Assistant Program. “We wanted to guide our students, across disciplines, to think about the heavy topic, and to dialogue about it with their colleagues. Their future patients will be the ones who benefit.”
Across the nation there has been a recent emphasis on the need for healthcare interprofessional collaboration, the practice of approaching patient care from a team-based perspective. “We’ve all visited our doctors and repeatedly answered the same questions or have been prescribed conflicting medications or treatments by different medical practitioners,” Ruppert explained. “We need to appreciate what the other disciplines have to offer and work together. The interprofessional event is the start of bridging those care gaps.”
The directors of the LSC-Tomball health occupations programs, which also include Surgical Technology, Pharmacy Technician, and Nursing, brainstormed for a topic all their students would face. Once the group agreed on the death and dying subjects, LSC-Tomball’s Director of Nursing Tracie Wood suggested students view the film Wit, starring Emma Thompson. The movie walks its audience through a woman’s story of her battle against cancer. “The film is powerful. We placed boxes of Kleenex on every table,” said Ruppert. “It’s a tearjerker.”
Students were assigned to sit with their peers from a different health occupation program than their own. They introduced themselves and spoke about what they were learning in their fields. Following the film, they dialogued about the main character’s experience and were prompted to discuss how they felt about what they saw. They examined the positive and negative attitudes and behaviors of the healthcare professionals portrayed in the feature, noting what they would avoid or adopt in their own future practices.
Stephanie Johnston, OTD, LSC-Tomball’s Occupational Therapy field work coordinator, had a “case like this from her own career,” said Ruppert. “Stephanie’s patient had cancer and was undergoing Chemo. While Stephanie was helping her with dressing and grooming, the woman’s hair was falling out. Both women sat together and cried,” said Ruppert. “That’s what you do. Through this event, we’re helping our students understand that process.”
Kylie Buresh, an Occupational Therapy Assistant student, recognized her peers from different disciplines at the event but said, “I’d never interacted with them before.” Buresh is counting down the days until her May 2023 graduation and said that “learning to communicate and build relationships across medical professions is valuable. I know it will positively impact my patients.”
Ruppert is passionate about helping students, like Buresh, improve their own lives. She says this happens in a couple of ways. “First, they are coming to college, which makes their lives better, but the occupational therapy program does way more than educate them on only occupational therapy skills. It helps them learn about themselves,” Ruppert said. “Students completely change, professionally and personally. They are more assertive and diplomatic. They get their needs met better than before, and they have greater connections with others.”
Each October, Health Occupational students host and run a Halloween Carnival for children with disabilities. The party is inclusive to all kids, who have a variety of needs. “The students spend time with the trick-or-treaters and adapt the activity in the moment to meet the needs of each child,” Ruppert said. “We also expose our students to hippotherapy, a treatment that uses the movement of horses to strengthen the core of patients or help with posture.” These are a few examples of the many educational opportunities offered in the multifaceted health occupational programs.
“In my 25 years as director, there have been many changes in the healthcare industry, which are reflected in our Health Science Programs,” Ruppert said. “But one thing that hasn’t changed is our commitment to prepare students to become top healthcare providers, who experience professional and personal success.”
Organization of the interprofessional event was made possible by the collaboration of LSC-Tomball Director of Nursing Tracie Wood, LSC-Tomball Director of Pharmacy Technology Angela Bayer, LSC-Tomball Director of Surgical Technology Diane Montagna and Sara Miller.
To learn more about the health occupations programs offered at LSC-Tomball, visit https://www.lonestar.edu/Tomball-Health-Sciences.
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