- Tracey Vause Earland, Faculty Co-Lead
- Mariana Kuperman, Faculty Co-Lead
- Reena DePaolo, Program Coordinator
- MC Hughes-Hicks, Program Assistant
Jefferson Student Interprofessional Complex Care Collaborative
Jefferson Student Interprofessional Complex Care Collaborative (J-SICCC)
What Is J-SICCC?
The Jefferson Student Interprofessional Complex Care Collaborative (J-SICCC) is:
- A 7-month experiential education program around complex care
- Interprofessional teams of advanced students, as well as advisors
- An opportunity to learn about patient challenges during interactions with the healthcare system
Participants
Students who have interprofessional experience through interprofessional curriculum or employment.
Time Commitment
2-4 hours bi-weekly
Modality
Hybrid. The Kick-Off event is in-person and some patient interactions or team meetings may be in-person. All other activities are virtual including the Wrap-Up event.
Objectives
- Implement approaches to impact health related social needs
- Assist in addressing barriers to healthcare
- Apply principles of trauma-informed care, motivational interviewing, and harm reduction in the effort of building authentic relationships and promoting self-efficacy
- Utilize effective strategies for working on interprofessional teams to enhance patient-centered care
- Reflect on principles of complex care to better care for those with complex health and social needs
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is the student role?
First, you are learners. You are not expected to have all the answers or solve all the problems that may arise. Your role is to support the patient and work together as a team to create action plans to help the patient achieve their goals.
How often does my team meet?
Teams should meet weekly but scheduling can be tricky so make use of different platforms if you cannot meet in person (Zoom, Teams, text), schedule different times, and communicate your needs. A Doodle poll can help identify times; consider separate meetings for different tasks (ex. patient meeting, provider phone call); and designate someone to coordinate meetings and set agenda. Format and duration will vary.
What about safety?
Whether public spaces or private residences, it’s always best for 2 team members to be present at meetings. Always carry your cell phone and university ID.
How do we set boundaries to ensure our personal privacy?
It is best to avoid contacting patients directly from your personal phones. Begin with a Jefferson phone line and email and continue with a Google Voice number and other platforms (ex. Zoom). Share and discuss the Acknowledgement of Expectations with the patient. Revisit this conversation periodically, or as needed.
Why join the J-SICCC program?
- Collaborate with students and advisors from other professions
- Strengthen your communication skills with an interprofessional team and with patients
- Learn directly from patients about the complexities of, and barriers to, care
- Learn about community resources that can support patients on their wellness journey
- Begin to take a holistic approach to patient care
- Gain a greater appreciation for healthcare workers and the patient experience
- Coordinate with team, faculty and clinical advisors, and providers to enroll patients in the program.
- Collaborate with team and patient to determine goals and expectations for intervention(s), develop a plan, and obtain materials needed for intervention(s).
- Facilitate patient graduation/transition at program conclusion.
- Assist with researching, contacting, and connecting patients with social services.
- Utilize program tools and activities to facilitate identifying patient-specific health and social needs.
- Serve as a liaison between the patient, care team, social services, and family members.
- Meet with the patient(s), providers, caregivers, and other services within the home and community.
- Track patient outreach, enter patient interactions into EPIC, and collect patients’ hospital utilization data.
- Present final capstone assignment on team experiences at the Wrap-Up event.
- Communicate with JCIPE Coordinator and research team to complete pre/post surveys and any other evaluation duties as assigned.
- Serve as team leader on a rotating basis to liaise between the student team, JCIPE Coordinator, and advisor(s). Students are typically their team’s leader for 1-2 months.
- Work with individuals of other professions to maintain a climate of mutual respect and shared values to provide supportive care for patients. [1]
- Roles/Responsibilities: Use the knowledge of one’s role and those of other professions to appropriately assess and address the healthcare needs of patients, and to promote and advance the health of populations.
- Communicate with patients, families, and professionals in health and other fields responsively and responsibly that supports a team approach to the promotion and maintenance of health and the prevention and treatment of disease. Counsel and educate patients and their families to empower them to participate in their care and shared decision-making.
- Apply relationship-building values and principles of team dynamics to perform effectively in different team roles, to plan, deliver, and evaluate patient/population-centered care and population health programs and policies that are safe, timely, efficient, effective, and equitable.
- Learn and apply the principles of motivational interviewing, trauma-informed care, and harm reduction to address social-behavioral aspects of patient care.
- Develop working knowledge of health and social resources to support patients while also providing appropriate system navigation. [1]
- Applications due by July 31
- Application decision notifications distributed by August 15 (rolling decisions)
- Program Kick-Off: Saturday, September 13, 2025
- Program Wrap-Up: Thursday, April 9, 2026
- Time Commitment: Variable (1-2 hours/week)
- View the recording from our information session.
- Complete the application.
- Meet with your program liaison.
- Receive notification about application decision.
- View the recording from our information session.
- Complete the application.
J-SICCC has provided valuable experience and new perspective on the intracacies of patient care. Advocating for a patient's health often involves more than treating a single illness, rather it is a collaborative effort across various specialties and health organizations to care for the patient as a whole.