Dean of the School of Health Sciences Dr. Marcus Tye addresses the audience.
A total of 158 students and faculty attended “Exploring the Health Care Professional’s Role as an Interdisciplinary Team Member” event, which took place on November 14 in the Center for the Arts Williamson Theatre at the College of Staten Island (CSI). This was a success coaching and nursing student event in collaboration with the Physical Therapy and Social Work departments.
Dr. Marcus Tye, Dean of the School of Health Sciences, welcomed participants and emphasized the strong need for interprofessional collaboration. The featured speakers included:
-Dr. Karen Arca-Contreras, the Success Coaching and Nursing Student Retention Program Coordinator and Lecturer in the Nursing Department. She has held various leadership positions in nursing including nurse consultant and nurse educator.
-Dr. Amanda Rotondo, Adjunct Lecturer in the Physical Therapy Department, who is the owner of Precious Movements Physical Therapy and specializes in treating orthopedics and pediatrics.
-Constance Stafford, an Adjunct Professor in the Social Work Department. She has experience working with the developmentally disabled. Currently, she is the manager of professional student services in the Department of Social Work.
The speakers discussed the key roles that nursing, physical therapy, and social work play as members of the interdisciplinary team. The objectives of the program were to clearly articulate the professional roles, to build respectful relationships among healthcare science students, to advocate for an interprofessional evidence-based approach when addressing patient problems, and to foster the development of interprofessional teams dedicated to improving patient outcomes.
Dr. Karen Arca-Contreras advocated for the “need for interprofessional education and effective collaboration so health science students will be better prepared to improve patient outcomes after graduation. We must prepare our students to work with other disciplines as well as patients and their families in order to deliver the highest quality of care across various health settings.”
Dr. Arlene Farren, Chairperson of the Department of Nursing, concluded the program by asking participants to commit to working together as members of the interdisciplinary team.
