Integrating Experience 

Interdisciplinary Collaboration

Watching the presentation on interdisciplinary collaboration helped me have a better understanding of the importance of having clear and consistent communication with all members of a healthcare team. One of the presenters, Chelsea, is a decentralized pharmacologist. For this profession Chelsea had to do three years of undergrad and four years of pharmacy school. To officially become a pharmacologist, you also have to do two years of residency. For day-to-day life as a pharmacologist, Chelsea described having to constantly be verifying medications, always being on the unit, looking for the six rights for administering medications, evaluating side effects and drug interactions, and making recommendations to the rest of the health team. Challenges with this profession include patient deaths, making hard decisions regarding COVID situations, and dealing with controlled substances. A decentralized pharmacologist makes their daily rounds on the unit and works with other health team members to work through patient problems and medication lists. Other health team members that a pharmacologist works closely with include nurses, providers pharmacists, dietitians, and respiratory therapists. Pharmacologists work closely with nurses to talk about medications and their compatibility with the patient and other medications that they are taking. Pharmacologists also talk with providers to talk about putting in orders for medications. The next presenter was Elliot, who is a physical therapist. To become a physical therapist, you have to get an undergraduate degree and go through a doctoral degree program. Obligations include pulling up sheets for what patients you’re assigned to, making your rounds to patients for the day, preparing for the next shift, and collaborating with other healthcare members. Physical therapists assess patients on their mobility, condition, time for recovery, strength, endurance, needs for discharge, needs for when they are at home, and making referrals to rehabilitation centers. Physical therapists work closely with providers, respiratory therapists/doctors, orthotist rehabilitation offices, and especially nurses. Physical therapists work closely with nurses to discuss care management, prioritizing patient lists, and progression reports. I concluded from this presentation that almost all healthcare professionals have to collaborate with one or more other professionals in the healthcare world in order to be successful in their career paths.