Implementation and lessons learned from 2 online interprofessional faculty development programs for improving educational practice in the health professions in Chile and the United Kingdom from 2018 to 2021.

This study presents the design, implementation, and lessons learned from 2 fit-for-purpose online interprofessional faculty development programs for educational practice improvement in the health professions in Chile and the United Kingdom from 2018 to 2021. Both programs were designed to enhance teaching and learning practices in an interprofessional environment based on 4 pillars: professional diversity, egalitarianism, blended/online learning, and active learning strategies. A multidisciplinary mix of educators participated, showing similar results. The 3 main lessons learned were that the following factors facilitated an interprofessional environment: a professions-inclusive teaching style, a flexible learning climate, and interprofessional peer work. These lessons may be transferable to other programs seeking to enhance and support interprofessionality. Faculty development initiatives preparing educators for interprofessional practice should be an integral component of health professions education, as delivering these courses within professional silos is no longer justifiable. As the relevance of interprofessional education grows, an effective way of promoting interprofessonal education is to train the trainers in formal interprofessional settings.

Academics' and students' experiences in a chilean dental school during the COVID-19 pandemic: A qualitative study.

INTRODUCTION: The quick spread of COVID-19 has caused part of the world's population to adopt quarantine protocols that have limited professional activities, including dental training programmes. This study aimed to explore the experiences of students and personnel at a Chilean dental school during the COVID-19 pandemic. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This phenomenological descriptive qualitative study reported staff and students' experiences during the pandemic through in-depth, semi-structured interviews. These were recorded on audio and video with a digital platform. Three researchers then transcribed and analyzed the recordings and codified the answers into categories to determine the emerging topics until a saturation point was reached. RESULTS: The core emerging themes among the staff group were (1) change in the personal/professional life balance, (2) online learning through digital platforms, (3) staff perceptions of students' learning experiences, and (4) concerns about the future. For students, the themes were (1) changes in the learning process, (2) online learning through digital platforms, (3) interpersonal relationships, and (4) concerns about the future. CONCLUSION: The COVID-19 pandemic has been a period of learning for our dental school staff and students. Even though online learning has been a useful tool for delivering didactic (theoretical) concepts, it has been unable to replace conventional education, including skills training. Students and teachers reported being overwhelmed at the beginning of the pandemic, but they have shown remarkable adaptability and resilience during this period.