Pharmacy and physician assistant students experience benefits from an interprofessional education experience incorporating motivational interviewing training

Background: While interprofessional education (IPE) has become commonplace, incorporation of motivational interviewing (MI) using standardized patients (SPs) has been rare, particularly use of a multi-pronged strategy of engagement among pharmacy and physician assistant students. Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the impact of an IPE MI training intervention that employed students in teams interacting with standardized patients (SPs); specifically, the intervention impact on MI self-efficacy, professional identity formation (PIF) and attitudes toward interprofessional care. Methods: First-year PharmD students (PGY1) and second-year physician assistant students (PA-S2) underwent a three-hour didactic class session featuring lecture and video simulations followed by an activity where teams of 6-8 students interacted with 5 different standardized patients (SPs). The educational intervention also featured a group debriefing session and written reflection prompted by answering several questions about how they fared with the SPs. Students' completed pre- and post- intervention surveys featuring standardized instrumentation measuring self-efficacy to engage in MI, professional identity formation, and attitudes toward interprofessional education. Results: = 14), though both PGY1 and PA-S2 students commented that academic year concordance, i.e., matching a PGY1 with a PA-S1, in future simulations could improve self-efficacy and confidence. Conclusions: An IPE event featuring lecture, interaction with SPs, and an opportunity for mutual self-reflection on one another's roles in patient care might be beneficial to include in pharmacy and PA curriculum, even while such endeavors might be further enhanced using a longitudinal approach.