President's Report Masthead
September 30, 2018

Orientation kicks off a year of collaborating to improve patient care

Twenty-eight interprofessional teams of pharmacy, nursing and social work students broke the ice with each other two days before fall semester classes began at Binghamton University.

The Interprofessional Education (IPE) orientation, held in the Mandela Room of the University Union, was larger than last year due to higher enrollments – demonstrated when Gloria Meredith, founding dean of the School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, asked students to raise their hands by discipline. Eighty-four pharmacy, 81 social work and 56 nursing students raised their hands at the orientation where they learned what to expect over the next academic year as they work together to care for patients.

Last year, the IPE program created 13 teams of 12 students each. This year, teams have been reduced to eight or nine students.

Citing an estimate of one in three of students at Binghamton being new to the campus, President Harvey Stenger encouraged the team members to say hello and introduce themselves to others. “I can’t assume you know who I am, so think of that as you acclimate to campus,” he said. “Think of these people as your newfound friends.

“Interprofessional education is about relationships,” he said. “It’s not about who is in charge. To be part of a team – to be good and functional – simply work together. That’s the hardest challenge you will encounter.”

Read more in BingUNews.