I was approaching the final rotations of my third year in medical school when it came time to create my fourth-year schedule. I wanted to participate in electives that aligned with my passions for advocacy and addressing health disparities but were also unique. That’s when I stumbled upon a few courses at a nearby law school that explored the intersection of law and medicine.
Though I knew the course was offered at a law school, since I had been accustomed to rotating across specialties in hospital settings, it didn’t fully register that I would be learning from a practicing attorney in a classroom setting and that my classmates would all be law students. I’m unsure why reading this information in the syllabus immediately gave me mild palpitations, but it did.
The first day of class came, and my mind filled with thoughts about how I would be perceived—as an outsider? An enemy? An ally? Would anyone take notice of me?
Indeed, they did. Throughout the elective, they embraced me with open minds—and many caffeinated drinks. They valued my medical perspective when advocating for their clients, who were often parents of medically complex children.
It was a rewarding experience collaborating with the law students I now call my friends. The experience felt full circle, reinforcing the importance of interprofessional collaboration, even at the level of professional schooling.
By the end of the elective, my friends and I jokingly but sincerely admitted that our interactions had debunked some of the stereotypes we held about law students and medical students. We not only became more comfortable with our worlds colliding as students, but we also established connections that we would confidently utilize once we became practitioners in our respective fields.
What made this experience full circle?
It led me to recall the first time I was introduced to the concept of interprofessional collaboration and the devastating effect its absence could have on health care teams and, ultimately, on patient care.
I was a first-year medical student working under a pharmacist on a research project. The project involved analyzing pharmacists’ perspectives on their collective role in the opioid epidemic and their recommendations for decreasing opioid-related deaths.
It was my first research project in medical school, and I was excited to design a study and explore the perspectives of local pharmacists regarding the epidemic. Though I approached the project with an open mind, I had some predictions about the common themes I would uncover.
To my surprise, my predictions were completely off. I was shocked yet inspired by the most common theme: a strong need for interprofessional collaboration.
My time with the law students became a full-circle moment because it reinforced how valuable interprofessional collaboration can be in diverse settings.
I quickly recalled how powerful these collaborations have been in both clinical and non-clinical environments. In my few months of clinical experience, I have witnessed the efficiency and thoroughness of inpatient rounds when they include an interprofessional team. The ability to maximize patient care from multiple perspectives is greatly enhanced when pharmacists, social workers, nurses, registered dietitians, physicians, and other specialists collaborate.
And the reasoning makes sense.
When professionals from various fields work together, the patient benefits—and everyone on the team learns in the process. No question is off-limits, and discussions become rich with the most up-to-date information. Every professional sees the patient through a different lens, bringing forward recommendations that might otherwise have been overlooked.
Medicine is a dynamic field that requires a commitment to adaptation—whether it involves new medications, procedures, health guidelines, clinical trials, or health policies. While interprofessional collaboration may not have been as common in the past, it presents yet another opportunity for health care professionals to embrace change and improve patient outcomes.
Kelly Montgomery is a medical student.
