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Background: There is a direct emphasis on interprofessional learning and interprofessional education (IPE) at the accreditation and national level (IPE, 2016). There are, however, no studies on the effectiveness in the delivery of interprofessional collaboration in the academic setting, specific to occupational therapy assistant students. Therefore, the following research has been developed to address this area of need in occupational therapy assistant education. Methods: This research was conducted in the academic setting, through a simulated lab-based case with occupational therapy assistant and physical therapist assistant students as the participants. The perceived confidence and communication were measured through a pre and post survey using the Interdisciplinary Education Perception Scale (IEPS). Qualitative data was collected 10 months after the IP event in the form of a focus group. Results: Twenty-three students participated in the interprofessional event. The quantitative results while using a paired samples t-test indicated that IEPS pre-test mean scores (M = 90.08) were significantly different than the IEPS post-test mean scores (M = 97.95), (t [23] = 5.57, p < .001). The qualitative finding results resulted in the following themes: collaboration, building confidence and effective communication skills, during the IPE event, and student reflection of IPE. Conclusions: Many health program accreditation bodies include IPE within their educational standards. The results of this one-day interprofessional event demonstrated that the participants showed an improvement in their perceptions of affective domain components within an interdisciplinary education program. The results were IEPS and all four subscales within the IEPS were statistically significant indicating that student learning occurred in all domains. Occupational therapy assistant faculty need to continue to seek creative avenues to support and incorporate IPE in the academic setting to better prepare OT practitioners to work collaboratively in the workplace and with the clients they serve.

The stigma of mental illness endorsed by healthcare professionals has been linked to adverse outcomes. This issue underscores the need for early anti-stigma interventions in the context of professional training. The present study measured stigma change and suicide screening behaviors among medical, nursing, and pharmacy students enrolled in an interprofessional Communication Skills for Healthcare Professionals course. The Mental Health Knowledge Schedule (MAKS; Evans-Lacko et al., 2010), Opening Minds Scale for Health Care Providers (OMS-HC; Modgill, Patten, Knaak, Kassam, & Szeto, 2014), and the Marlowe-Crowne Social Desirability Scale Form C (M-C SDS Form C; Reynolds, 1982) was administered at baseline (T1), a mid-semester assessment (T2), and post-intervention (T3) to 176 students. Post-intervention changes in stigma components (knowledge, attitudes, and behavioral intent) were mixed for all groups. Knowledge, attitudes, and behavioral intent did not predict whether students screened for suicidal ideation (p > .05). Findings from the present study support past research indicating that the stigma can be improved with appropriate intervention. Findings also support interprofessional training as an appropriate context for anti-stigma interventions. Currently, there is no general consensus regarding the best method and combination of tools to measure stigma among healthcare students. Additionally, the relationship between stigma and screening for suicidal ideation is an important area for further scientific inquiry.