Dr. Erin Leiman on Interprofessional Education

Photo above: Faculty providing patient care at Duke's Interprofessional Education Clinic

Dr. Erin Leiman is the co-medical director for Duke’s Interprofessional Education (IPE) Clinic and the assistant director representing the MD program for the Duke Health Center for Interprofessional Education and Care (IPEC). She has been involved in the clinic since 2016 and with the new IPEC Center since its inauguration in late 2019. The IPE clinic gathers pre-licensure students and faculty from multiple professions, including physicians, physician assistants, nurses, and physical therapists, to provide team-based care to low-acuity emergency room patients.

There is always an MD faculty physician present guiding the group through the process. Nurses in Emergency Medicine are an important pillar to this program and are very much a part of the clinical and educational experience. Another unique aspect of this program is the focus on centering the patient to this episode of care, involving them in all aspects of care delivery and serving as an instructor in the students’ education, making this a full 360-degree experience.

Dr. Leiman explained that since its conception, the program has grown in the number of professions that are involved. The IPE Clinic has been in motion for five years and is highly rated by both students and patients. The IPE program was supported by Chancellor Eugene Washington and the Deans of both the School of Medical and School of Nursing (Mary Klotman, MD and Marion E. Broome, PhD, RN, FAAN, respectively) with significant backing by Dean Edward Buckley, MD.

The clinic is also novel in its use of IPE for acute care and the program leaders hope that this program will provide more education and to support for more research pursuit. Dr. Leiman will present some of the most recent findings via two oral presentations and two posters at this year’s National Center for Interprofessional Practice and Education NEXUS Summit. Dr. Leiman hopes that by the end of their time in the clinic, students who participate will walk away with not only an appreciation for the teamwork that is required in caring for a patient, but also a key understanding of the Division of Emergency Medicine and its culture.