Interprofessional Student Teams Learn About Grief and Loss

Hayley Terlizzi, a fourth-year Northeast Ohio Medical University College of Pharmacy student, contributed the following reflection.  

I recently had the pleasure of attending an interprofessional educational event, Grief and Loss: An Interprofessional Perspective, at Cleveland State University. It was my second time attending the event. The first time I attended was last year, as a third-year College of Pharmacy student. This time, as a fourth-year student, I assisted as a facilitator.

Having just completed an Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experience (APPE) rotation where I helped care for palliative and hospice patients, this experience was especially pertinent.

Pharmacists are able to use their toolbox of pharmaceutical knowledge to bring patients comfort by optimizing their medications and symptom management. This, in turn, helps bring their families comfort. Learning about the grieving process and how to care for patients at the end of life is something that I believe every health care professional can find value in.

Additionally, this event was a great opportunity to work with individuals from other health care professions, including social work, nursing, speech therapy, occupational therapy and physical therapy.

I am grateful for the chance to learn about other occupations and what they can bring to the table as part of the health care team. I believe that interprofessional collaboration is essential to achieving our shared goal of providing the best patient care possible.