College of Allied Health Sciences students learn to Escape the Exam Room

On Aug. 26, the College of Allied Health Sciences’ Interprofessional Education Committee, led by a faculty core group of IPE champions, and the Center for Instructional Innovation hosted Escape the Exam Room.

Since its launch in 2022, the event has been held four times with nearly 600 allied health graduate students participating in the escape room. The concept and development of the escape room were a collaboration between the IPE Committee and the CII.

“It is great to see how the result of our collaboration has impacted and engaged so many students,” said Jeff Mastromonico, the director of Instructional Innovation with the Center for Instructional Innovation, expressing his excitement about being part of the event again.

A group of five students stand in a circle with their hands raised. — College of Allied Health Sciences students participate in Escape the Exam Room.

The innovative learning activity was created to strengthen the Allied Health IPE curriculum by teaching the importance of interprofessional collaboration while focusing on patient-centered care.

More than 160 students from five different graduate disciplines, including the departments of Speech-Language Pathology, Physician Assistant, Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy and Nutrition and Dietetics, were divided into 29 small groups. The groups worked together to create a new treatment plan for a fictional patient by using clues provided in the escape room. Key components of the IPE escape room experience were the inclusion of an icebreaker session at the beginning and a reflection session at the end.

Three female students gather together to look at a pill bottle, as seen via a mirror in the room — College of Allied Health Sciences students in the Escape the Exam Room event.

One student reflected that the experience enhanced her understanding of a patient’s needs through a holistic approach, which is important for a patient’s overall well-being. Another student shared that the experience reinforced the idea that teamwork across disciplines is the best way to achieve successful patient outcomes. The students also realized that asking for help is not a weakness and is sometimes necessary in health care.

“The IPE committee members are incredibly grateful for the CII team’s creativity and collaboration in bringing this innovative learning experience to life,” said Joann Denemark, PhD, program director of the Speech-Language Pathology program and IPE committee member. “Student feedback has been overwhelmingly positive, with many requesting an escape room every semester. This experience is not only engaging students but also helping shape their professional identities and transform the future of health care through meaningful interprofessional collaboration.”