More than 300 MGH Institute students learned about child development across domains during the Institute’s annual Child Development Day. Led by Institute faculty who are pediatric experts, this year interprofessional teams conducted developmental assessments on children from age 0 to 3 years via telepractice.

Students from Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy, Speech Pathology, Audiology, Genetic Counseling, Physician Assistant, and Nurse Practitioner programs guided caregivers and children through a series of age-appropriate play activities while observing via Zoom. There were 32 sessions, each with 10-12 students working together to highlight gross and fine motor skills, movement, social interaction, communication, and cognition. More than 25 families volunteered to participate, including several Institute faculty, staff, and alumni.

 Mike Micco, an alumnus of the Doctor of Physical Therapy program, participated in a few sessions with his daughter, Sadie.

 “I learned about Child Development Day through being a lab instructor with the IHP,” said Micco. I have been consistently in and around the program ever since graduating from here with my DPT in 2019. I participated last year, and they reached out participate again this year.”

 “It is so important to practice interprofessional skills in a structured setting, to then be able to reflect and apply these skills in an actual clinical encounter,” said Rebecca Inzana, assistant professor in the Center for Interprofessional Education and Practice, who spearheaded the event this year. “It’s always inspiring to watch future clinicians learning together, then come away with new perspectives on the value add of interprofessional collaboration.”

 While Child Development Day is a well-established event at the Institute, this was the first year it was run by the Center for Interprofessional Education and Practice.

 “We had an opportunity to look at all of the benefits of Child Development Day and think about current student needs and the increasing demand for telehealth practice etiquette while honing in on the interprofessional competencies within this long-standing activity,” said Inzana.

 Inzana and the faculty who participated are gathering feedback from students, faculty, and families ahead of next year's event, looking for opportunities to improve the process, the family experience, and the learning outcomes.

 "It was an inspiring morning," Inzana said about the success of Child Development Day. "It's exciting to hear the students’ take-aways, which are  very much due to the passion of the faculty and the generosity of alumni who are bringing their children back to help the next generation of students learn."