Each March, approximately 1,000 students from health disciplines across the University of Toronto including medicine, dentistry, nursing, pharmacy, physiotherapy, occupational therapy and physician assistants take part in an educational series – though large-group and small-group learning sessions – related to current research and understanding of pain, and clinical practice in pain management.
This three-day interfaculty pain curriculum (IPC) is developed and delivered by the U of T Centre for the Study of Pain (UTCSP), a group of scholars, educators and clinicians from the Faculties of Dentistry, Medicine, Nursing, and Pharmacy. Using cases based on typical patients, students complete comprehensive assessments of multiple factors that contribute to the pain experience. They practice developing pain care plans, describe multi-professional and interprofessional strategies for collaborative pain practice, and consider ethical, legal, social, and political issues that may impact on patients’ pain outcomes. The individual faculties also provide discipline-specific content to their students during a 3 hour session, embedded within the three-day curriculum.
Student Pain Knowledge and Beliefs Pre- and Post-tests
Student Daily Content and Process Questionnaires
Evaluation of students’ Interdisciplinary Pain Management Plans, developed by small groups
Demonstration of Interprofessional Competencies using the Interprofessional Collaboration Assessment Rubric
In reviewing the report, the IFCC ensures that the goals of the curriculum are being met and that the pedagogic approach incorporates best practices for interprofessional education.
