Interprofessional Community-based Rural Track Program at ETSU: Rural Projects as Pedagogy

Since 1992 East Tennessee State University (ETSU) has augmented traditional health professions curricula with a community-based, inquiry-driven model. Catalyzed by a grant from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, community-academic partnerships that were initially formed two decades ago have been expanded to provide teaching and learning venues for interprofessional faculty and students through a two-semester community-based course sequence. Since 2005, enthusiasm for ETSU's “Rural Track” has prompted pharmacy, psychology, respiratory therapy, and social work to join the three original disciplines of medicine, nursing and public health. The purpose of the present study was to describe course process outcomes from 2005-2011 and investigate pedagogical components by reviewing course materials and interviewing faculty. Process outcomes indicate that community partners have included individuals, groups, and organizations within 7 counties in Northeast Tennessee. These partnering agencies include school boards, health councils, neighborhood associations, senior citizen centers, rural clinics, community-based clinics, hospitals, church-organizations, veteran associations, community-based coalitions, after-school clubs, non-profits, and migrant farm camps. Primary populations partnered with include rural white, African American, and Hispanic communities. Through the course 35 programs and services have been implemented during the past 6 years. Faculty interviews highlighted important pedagogical components of the course related to faculty interests and benefits of being involved, interprofessional and community-based teaching methods that facilitate “hands on” learning, and challenges related to undertaking interprofessional community-based education. Study outcomes when compared to student course assessments reflect the importance of interprofessional community-based education and the constant need to refine and reflect on the process.