Transforming an online population health course through verbal communication and collaboration

Background Verbal communication and interprofessional collaboration are critical skills for integration of public health principles in practice yet are not consistently addressed in asynchronous online course objectives. Opportunities to practice verbal communication and interprofessional collaboration are critical to address population health issues. Description Faculty revised course requirements for a required population health course for graduate level nursing students to include verbal communication and interprofessional collaboration skills. Students had a brief (5-10 minute) conversation with faculty at the beginning of the semester to discuss learning goals. Students participated in an interactive WebEx session with a librarian to learn effective search strategies and a nutritionist to understand the intersection of food and culture, with specific implications for eating disorders. Students selected and developed informal partnerships with community agencies, completed a community assessment, and proposed programs to address health risks for the population served. Students submitted a five page executive summary to their organization outlining the community assessment and response to public health priorities for the population served. Agencies completed a review of student performance. Lessons Learned Students consistently reported that they never had a phone conversation with faculty before and were grateful for the opportunity. Measurement of verbal communication and interprofessional collaboration were measured through student satisfaction scores, community organization feedback, and feedback from professionals presenting WebEx sessions. Recommendations Inclusion of communication and interprofessional collaboration skills in an asynchronous online population health course for graduate nursing students is critical to prepare advanced practice nurses to function in a complex health care environment.