Story by Sara Belle Scott

The Department of Physical Therapy is incredibly thankful for the opportunity to collaborate with our outstanding clinical and educational partners within MU Health Care, the School of Medicine, and the Shelden Clinical Simulation Center.

Specifically, in an educational activity designed by faculty from the Department of Physical Therapy, including Dr. Erin Dannecker, associate professor, and Brad Willis, associate teaching professor, and faculty from the Department of Family and Community Medicine, including Dr. Jack Wells, professor, and Dr. Nikole Cronk, associate teaching professor,

second-year physical therapy students were able to recently practice their motivational interviewing skills at the Shelden Clinical Simulation Center.

Motivational interviewing, grounded in empathy and patient empowerment, fosters critical communication skills to promote patient-centered care and the optimization of health care outcomes. Due to the excellent organizational support from the Shelden Clinical Simulation Center director and staff, including but not limited to Dena Higbee, Alison Gorman, Kristi Perry, and Sheila Marushak, every second-year student was able to complete two sessions practicing their motivational interviewing skills with simulated patients while receiving tailored feedback from physician volunteers.

Events such as these reinforce the value and opportunity for collaborative activities promoting best practices in health care education within a more authentic learning environment. Again, we are very thankful for our clinical and educational partners within MU Health Care, the School of Medicine, and the Shelden Clinical Simulation Center to host our students and faculty for such a special day of learning.

Second Year Physical Therapy students at the Shelden Clinical Simulation Center