Development and implementation of violence across the lifespan (VAL) interprofessional education modules for health sciences students addressing human trafficking, child maltreatment, and intimate partner violence

Many healthcare professionals lack the education, training, and clinical skills needed to intervene and care for individuals experiencing interpersonal violence. Current health care practices and systems rely on hierarchical decision making and identification of diagnoses and management plans within individualistic and isolated clinical specialty silos. This is a direct result of the present healthcare educational systems lacking the necessary knowledge and support to teach basic concepts related to the acute and chronic healthcare needs of patients experiencing interpersonal violence. The needs of these patients require that all members of the healthcare team perform within a coordinated, interprofessional, and collaborative team environment. Three interprofessional educational modules were developed by an interprofessional faculty group at a midwestern university. Participants included health sciences students enrolled in dentistry, emergency medical services, medicine, nursing, occupational therapy, pharmacy, physical therapy, and public health. Each module focused on a different type of interpersonal violence, including human trafficking, child maltreatment, and intimate partner violence. The modules included basic information regarding the identification and trauma informed care of patients experiencing interpersonal violence. During completion of each module, students participated in on-line discussion groups and addressed their future professional role in relation to other professions. These interprofessional modules have been offered for the past four years (2018–2021) and have educated a total of 672 health professions students.