Page 54 - Index

Targeted Participants: First and third year students in optometry, second year pharmacy students, and nursing and social work students in various program years
Targeted Learning Level: In the area of Collaboration, this was a first Exposure experience as to how professions may best address issues of poverty.
In the area of Communication, this was an Exposure experience and Immersion activity in that it was both building knowledge in how professions may communicate with other professions but also with patients living in poverty. It also immersed students in a simulation of living through poverty.
In the area of Values and Ethics, the event was an Exposure experience to first introduce interprofessional students to a life of poverty; however, for many it was more of an Immersion activity since they noted they had personally experienced poverty.
Timeframe of the Project: The Poverty Simulation was an event conducted twice, once in the fall semester and once in the spring semester. First year optometry students participated in the fall event, and third year optometry students participated in the spring event.
Preparation by Faculty: The optometry event coordinator attended training prior to the Simulation, applied for an interprofessional grant to purchase the kits with colleagues
from other programs, performed scheduling, introduced the Simulation to students, and provided them with pre-event information. The faculty coordinator of the course in which the Poverty Simulation occurred was also involved in pre-event instruction. Other faculty from the Michigan College of Optometry (MCO) at Ferris State University were invited to attend and volunteer at the event. Volunteers were provided with instructions by email prior to the Simulation and in-person on the day of the event.
Pre-Work for Students: None, however the pre-Simulation information provided to students follows this Exemplar.
Targeted ASCO Graduate Attributes: PE1, PE2, PE3, PE4, PE5, PE6, PE7, PE8; KK8, KK9; CC7, CC9, CC10, CC12, CC13
Targeted IPEC Core Competencies: VE1, VE2, VE3, VE4, VE5, VE6, VE7, VE8, VE9; RR2, RR3, RR4, RR7, RR9, RR10., CC3, CC4, CC5, CC6, CC7, CC8; TT2, TT3, TT4, TT6, TT8, TT11.
Lessons Learned in Planning and Implementing this Project: Although there can be difficulty in planning and implementing IPE projects, it can be successfully accomplished with a dedicated team. The biggest barriers to implementation were funding needs, scheduling conflicts among programs and internally within colleges/programs, engaging students when they were taking some of their free time to participate, and navigating the sensitive topic
of poverty. We had students who felt uncomfortable in the Simulation because they had lived or were living in poverty, so we approached this carefully and with an introduction prior to the event. Asking students to complete pre- and post-Simulation surveys was important to measure outcomes and make future improvements, but students did not enjoy this component of the event.
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ASCO IPECP Toolkit
June 2020