Pharmacy Academy Newsletter

by Heather B. Congdon, PharmD, CDE, FNAP

In today’s collaborative, patient-centered health care environment, studies have demonstrated that team-based care improves patient-related clinical outcomes, especially for patients with chronic medical conditions and historically inequitable access to health care. As such, healthcare practitioners need to have the knowledge and skills to function capably in interprofessional teams. An international movement to offer interprofessional education (IPE) to health professions students has taken hold in response to this workforce need for collaborative practice. Student participation in IPE activities for health professions disciplines is paramount to preparing them for team-based care. 

Advocate to Advance Interprofessional Healthcare in 2024!!

To welcome Spring 2024, your Public Policy Committee invites all NAP members to participate in our Virtual Hill Day on Wednesday, May 15^th.  Your immediate registration is needed to have ample time to schedule virtual visits with your legislative offices. Interprofessional teams will be provided with NAP an Issue Brief/Fact Sheet, References, Resources and Talking Points. As part of the registration process, you have access to and are asked to complete the NAP advocacy education and tutorial for the online platform we use to support our Virtual Hill Day activity. Please register today to join us for this very special opportunity!!

Building on the NAP history and founding mission to advance healthcare, it is a privilege to continuously work with NAP Public Policy Committee members to establish an annual public policy agenda, to increase reference and advocacy materials and to refresh resources in support of public policy efforts on behalf of the National Academies of Practice. In addition to the above-mentioned participation in the Virtual Hill Day, you will soon be asked to complete the annual survey to determine the public policy agenda and you are invited to join the Public Policy Committee. Throughout the year, members of the Public Policy Committee work diligently to provide NAP members with the most accurate information related to designated public policy topics. Sincere appreciation goes to Leigh Ann Frick and Deb Swain who have been working to prepare the resources to be used during this year’s Hill Visit event.

NATIONAL ACADEMIES OF PRACTICE WELCOMES NUTRITION AND DIETETICS ACADEMY

The National Academies of Practice (NAP) held their 2024 Annual Meeting and Forum on March 15-16, 2024 and as part of this event, welcomed their newest academy – Nutrition and Dietetics.

The National Academies of Practice leadership unanimously approved Nutrition and Dietetics as the newest academy to join the association. Seven founding Distinguished Fellows and Professional Members were inducted into NAP during the Induction Banquet and Awards Ceremony on March 16. Stephanie Petrosky, DCN, MHA, RDN, FAND will serve as the Chair of the Nutrition and Dietetics Academy and Kathrin Eliot, PhD, RDH/LD, FAND will serve as Chair-Elect for the 2024-2025 term.

NATIONAL ACADEMIES OF PRACTICE (NAP)
ANNOUNCES ANNUAL AWARD WINNERS

Each year at the National Academies of Practice (NAP) Annual Membership Banquet and Induction Ceremony, NAP bestows awards to truly deserving candidates who are nominated by their peers. This year’s awards were presented on March 16, 2024, during a gala at the Hyatt Regency in Jacksonville, FL.

The Creativity in Practice & Education Award was established to recognize and encourage interprofessional programs, projects, and models which focus on the improvement of healthcare. This year the award recipient was the Kern Collaboratory Faculty Fellowships in Interprofessional Leadership.

Athletic Trainers as Part of the Interprofessional Concussion Management Team

March is National Athletic Training Month, and the Athletic Training Academy is excited to share information about our role as part of an interprofessional concussion management team. While athletic trainers do not work solely with athletes, here we will highlight our role in the management of sport-related concussion. In accordance with the 6th International Conference on Concussion in Sport, we will discuss our role using the 12 ‘R’s of sport-related concussion.

Recognize: Athletic trainers (ATs) are frequently the first healthcare provider to identify a patient suffering from a sport-related concussion (SRC). We are often on the field or court with the patient when the injury occurs. The pre-existing relationships ATs have with their patients facilitate trust and allow us to better evaluate whether there are changes in mood or behavior. Athletic trainers recognize SRCs and work with other healthcare providers to manage the patient’s recovery.

Examples of the Role of Social Workers on Medical Specialty Interprofessional Teams

by A. Suzanne Boyd, PhD, MSW, ACSW, FNAP

During the last 20 years there has been an increase in the number of social work professionals who are members of interprofessional teams in a variety of settings. Most notably social workers are interprofessional team members in health care settings both public health and primary health care settings (Tadic, Ashcroft, Brown, & Dahrouge, 2020). Social workers in the subspecialty integrated behavioral health are well-known and deliver interventions such as clinical therapy services, conduct biopsychosocial assessments, and resource identification. The role of social workers on interprofessional teams at large research medical centers or specialty medical centers has received less attention. They often specialize in patient needs related to a medical specialty area.

Academy News: Podiatric Medicine

by Bob Smith, Podiatric Medicine Academy Chair

I can only imagine that all members of the National Academies of Practice are embracing 2024 of a year forecasting exciting and new opportunities either academically or within our practices arriving at our doorsteps. I reflect on this will be my fifth year as Podiatry Academy Chair and the responsibilities that role means. My fellow, professional, and emeritus members have given me a great privilege to voice their opinions and desires for the future of our small academy.  I am deeply grateful for their continued membership and participation as they see fit.  It is with great sadness that our academy lost one of our leaders who at one time was an emeritus member in December 2023.  Our ranks did grow by one member which delighted our entire academy.   

More Than Just Animal Doctors: Veterinarians in the Healthcare Mosaic

by Michael J. Blackwell, DVM, MPH

Healthcare today often resembles a patchwork—fractured and compartmentalized, each piece addressing a separate concern. Yet health, human or animal, is not a collection of isolated issues. It is a complex, interconnected web, which is why interprofessional collaboration is crucial.

Physical Therapy’s Commitment to Interprofessional Collaborative Care

The physical therapy profession is dedicated to collaborative practice for improved patient outcomes and the advancement of population health.  With our broad scope of practice, physical therapists collaborate with a variety of health professionals to provide comprehensive care across many practice settings. 

Physical therapists collaborate with all professions represented in NAP.  Please read the vignettes below that highlight some of many collaborative care experiences occurring in the physical therapy profession.

A Message from the NAP President
by Andrea Pfeifle, EdD, PT, FNAP

The National Academies of Practice's Vision is to become the alliance of professionals collaborating to transform health and well-being. Our mission is to advance interprofessional education, scholarship, research, practice, and public policy, by:

• Educating and informing our members and others;
• Facilitating collaborative scholarship and research opportunities;
• Recruiting, engaging, retaining, and mentoring our network of members; and
• Advocating the value of interprofessional practice and improving healthcare and policy for all.

The central tenets of our work together are grounded in the core values of collaboration, patient-centeredness, inclusivity, and interconnectedness.  

NATIONAL ACADEMIES OF PRACTICE TO WELCOME RESPIRATORY CARE ACADEMY

The National Academies of Practice (NAP) will be holding their 2023 Annual Meeting and Forum on March 30 – April 1 and as part of this event, will be welcoming their newest academy – Respiratory Care.

The National Academies of Practice leadership unanimously approved Respiratory Care as the newest academy to join the association. Sixteen founding Distinguished Fellows and Professional Members will be inducted into NAP during the Induction Banquet and Awards Ceremony on April 1, 2023. Nancy Colletti, RRT, CPFT will serve as the Chair of the Respiratory Care Academy and Kimberly Clark, EdD, RRT, will serve as Vice Chair for the 2023- 2025 term.

Transforming Reflections
Rick Weisbarth, OD, FAAO, FNAP

Spring is right around the corner and the National Academies of Practice Annual Meeting and Forum is only a little over a week away. 2023 is off to a great start as we continue our work together to Transform Interprofessional Care.

This is my last column as NAP President, and I want to thank everyone for the fantastic collaboration and interconnectedness that have been displayed over the last two years. We should all be proud of our many accomplishments.

Looking Back Moves Us Forward: The Pioneer of Advocacy 

Since NAP seeks to improve healthcare and policy for all, it might be worthwhile to look into history to learn more about how to accomplish this goal.

NATIONAL ACADEMIES OF PRACTICE (NAP)
ANNOUNCES ANNUAL AWARD WINNERS

Each year at the National Academies of Practice (NAP) Annual Membership Banquet and Induction Ceremony, NAP bestows awards to truly deserving candidates who are nominated by their peers. This year’s awards were presented on April 1, 2023 during a black tie gala at the Capital Hilton in Washington, DC.

The Creativity in Practice & Education Award was established to recognize and encourage interprofessional programs, projects, and models which focus on the improvement of healthcare. This year the award has two recipients: CAIPER eLearning Trainings from Arizona State University and the Case of the Kidnapped Healthcare Professionals: Developing a Virtual, Avatar-Based, Multi-User 3-D Video Interprofessional Escape Room from Ball State University.

COVID-19 Resources

From the Global Forum:

Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI) Task Force

Each year at the National Academies of Practice (NAP) Annual Induction Banquet, NAP bestows awards to truly deserving candidates who are nominated by their peers.  This year’s awards were presented on March 5, 2022 at the Hyatt Regency Mission Bay at a black tie gala.

The Creativity in Practice & Education Award was established to recognize and encourage interprofessional programs, projects, and models which focus on the improvement of health care.  This year’s award went to Thomas Jefferson University’s Complex Care Curriculum – 3Cs.

NAP believes that healthcare practice with an interprofessional foundation focused on the whole person is essential for effectively addressing the COVID-19 pandemic and other similarly complex and multisystem conditions that necessitate coordinated and comprehensive delivery of interprofessional collaborative care from multiple professions.

Many professional associations have requested telehealth provisions be included among acceptable and clinically appropriate services to facilitate truly patient-centered care (see addendum for a list of professional associations representative of the NAP membership). To provide quality interprofessional collaborative care during the COVID-19 pandemic, telehealth services have been expanded for a number of professions, with positive outcomes. National advocacy organizations, such as the National Association for the Support of Long Term Care (NASL) and the National Association of Rehabilitation Providers and Agencies (NARA), have partnered with professional associations to advance the appropriate use of telehealth in an effort to assure universal access to health care.