For MGH Institute Grad Students, Education Begins with Community Service

Doctor of Occupational Therapy student Cora Finley works with a youngster at Charlestown Public Library.

To most people, say the word marshmallow and visions of s’mores and campfires come to mind.

For the 350 first-year students who participated in the MGH Institute of Health Profession’s third annual Community Day on September 19, a marshmallow now has a new meaning: interprofessional education.

More than 35 teams of 6-8 students from the Charlestown health sciences graduate school’s four direct-entry programs -- Master of Science in Nursing, Doctor of Occupational Therapy, Doctor of Physical Therapy, and Master of Science in Speech-Language Pathology, plus the Master of Science in Physical Therapy for international students -- competed in a team-building exercise as each group tried to build the highest free-standing straw tower that could hold a marshmallow at its peak.

Along with the laughter and friendly competition was a first opportunity to develop strategic team planning and communication they will learn over the next two to three years and implement when caring for patients.

“We talked about the challenges we all will face and got a different perspective of what other disciplines look for when treating patients,” said speech pathology student Christine Antonio. “It definitely will give me more of an open mind on how to work with other health professionals.”

The exercise launched the school’s Interprofessional Model for Patient and Client-centered Teams curriculum. Better known as IMPACT Practice, the curriculum engages students in a series of interprofessional courses and activities in which they learn with, from, and about one another throughout their first year and reinforces a focus on interprofessional education that has been an Institute hallmark for more than 37 years.

“Several studies in recent years have reported that team of health professionals who work together are needed to address issues of safety and quality in healthcare delivery. High functioning teams, quite simply, provide better patient care” said Clinical Assistant Professor Mary Knab, who along with a faculty team first created IMPACT Practice in 2013. “Our aim is to provide students with opportunities to develop the competencies they’ll need to function effectively as members of interprofessional collaborative teams both during their Institute education and after they graduate.”

Helping Out in Charlestown, Other Neighborhoods

After the team-building exercise and class discussions about how teams function, the student groups scattered to more than 30 locations in and around Boston to do community service at non-profits and other organizations.

In Charlestown, students participated at AccessSport America, Boston National Historic Park in Charlestown Navy Yard, Captain’s Quarters, Charlestown Boys & Girls Club, Charlestown High School, Charlestown Nursery School Collaborative, Charlestown Public Library, Children’s Quarters, Courageous Sailing, Doherty Park, Edwards Middle School, Harvard Mall Park, Harvard-Kent School, Kennedy Center, Mishawum Park, Newtowne Housing Development, St. John’s Episcopal Church, Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, and Zelma Lacey House.

“It was a good way to give back to the neighborhood and to see more of Charlestown,” said nursing student Jodi Carlton, whose team painted the community room at the Kennedy Center.

Crystal Galvin of the Kennedy Center was quite pleased with the effort. “This room is used by a lot of groups for a lot of activities, so it really needed to be repainted. I’m glad they were here.”

Students also worked with children and adults, scrubbed boats, taught yoga classes, and cleaned neighborhood parks.

Participation at other Boston organizations included preparing meals at the Boston Rescue Mission, Pine Street Inn, and Rosie’s Place; and cleaning the Barbara McInnis House, Hearth’s Ruggles Assisted Living, and Haley House.

“It was a great opportunity for us all to work together and meet other students that we probably wouldn’t have had the chance to interact with otherwise,” noted physical therapy student Shoshana Clark, whose team sorted more than 11,000 pounds of food at the Greater Boston Community Food Bank.