Doctor of Physical Therapy students Noha Elghoroury (left) andAlison Davis examine a cadaver in OU's Gross Anatomy Lab.

As part of an Interprofessional Education Collaborative, students, faculty and leadersfrom OU's health sciences and nursing schools visited the Gross Anatomy Lab inHannah Hall to learn about various treatments for joint-related injuries.

Thursday, Nov 17, 2016

Physical therapy and nursing students share insights on best practices, interventions in cadaver lab

Students in Oakland University’s School of HealthSciences and School of Nursing recently cametogether to share their knowledge with the goal ofdelivering the best possible care to patients with jointdisorders. 

The two groups, comprised of junior-yearundergraduate nursing students and third-year Doctorof Physical Therapy (DPT) students, gathered inHannah Hall’s Gross Anatomy Lab, where they utilizedhuman cadavers to learn more about the nature andtreatment of joint disorders such as arthritis, tornligaments and disc degeneration.   In a series of 20-minute rotations, DPT students andnursing students examined different sections of thehuman body – foot/ankle, arm/shoulder, leg/hip,upper back/neck and lower back – for signs of jointproblems, including degenerated discs, tornligaments, and hip and knee replacements. The DPT students shared their knowledge aboutanatomy and joint function, identifying various injurieson the cadavers. They also offered perspectives oninterventions that physical therapists use to treatpatients with joint-related injuries and complications.The nursing students, in turn, shared their knowledgeabout interventions that nurses use to relievepatients’ joint pain. Much of the discussion centeredon how nurses and physical therapists can worktogether to improve health outcomes for patients inclinics and hospitals. This was the first time that students from nursing andphysical therapy came together as part of anInterprofessional Education Collaborative (IPEC). AnIPEC provides opportunities for individuals fromdifferent professions to develop a betterunderstanding of what each profession does andhow the professions can complement each otherwhen delivering care. In particular, the student-to-student interaction helpsfuture physical therapists and nurses be betterprepared to work together in clinical and hospitalsettings, according to Doug Creighton, instructor ofthe PT 761 Arthology class that hosted the IPEC. “It helps them be more respectful of each other’sprofession and understand their knowledge bases,”said Dr. Creighton, associate professor of physicaltherapy. “They learn to value each other more.” He noted that, for example, physical therapists tendto have a more extensive background in anatomy,while nurses focus more on medications andpharmacology.   Ellen Gajewski, instructor of the NRS 336 NursingCare of Adults class that the nursing students camefrom, said that the IPEC experience helps the twogroups not only expand their knowledge, but alsogain communication skills, which are crucial to

Drawing on their respective backgrounds, students from OU'sphysical therapy and nursing programs shared perspectives onhow to work together to provide the best care for patients.

 “Nurses and physical therapists need to becomfortable talking to each other,” Gajewskiexplained. “It’s much more effective to talk tosomeone, rather than just leaving a note. Comingtogether and having that personal interaction –discussing treatment plans and other concerns –helps everyone provide the best care, which is theoverall goal.” During the rotations, the students discussed waysthat physical therapists and nurses collaborate onpatient care, such as ordering pain medications andpaying close attention to when medications areadministered. While medications can be useful inalleviating pain, side effects are also a concern, saidDPT student Jonathan Miller. “If a medication is known to cause dizziness, then itbecomes a safety issue for patients during therapy,”he said. “We don’t want them to fall and hurtthemselves.” Nursing student Cathlin Michels said that workingwith the DPT students gave her a betterunderstanding of anatomy and how the human bodyworks. “We’ve never seen anything like this before,” she said. “It helps to actually see how everything works, rather than just reading about it in atextbook. This felt more like real-world experience.”