Utilizing a collaborative learning activity to sensitize interprofessional students to palliative care scopes of practice with adolescent and young adults

Adolescent and young adults diagnosed with cancer represent a vulnerable population needing careful collaborative care from interprofessional teams. Healthcare providers must understand and appreciate the respective scopes of practice of palliative care team members to maximize the quality of care provided to these patients. A team of graduate students engaged in a collaborative learning activity to explore professional roles and responsibilities of palliative care team members when caring for adolescent and young adult oncology patients. Following a literature review and community expert interviews, students identified shared responsibilities of all team members and unique contributions of various professions. Engaging in this process highlighted and clarified the full scope of practice for each specialized team member. Educators should consider utilizing a similar collaborative learning activity to enhance students’ understanding of the roles and responsibilities of each member of the interprofessional healthcare team.