IMPLEMENTATION of a PILOT TELEHEALTH TRAINING MODULE (TTM) FOR ADVANCED PRACTICE CLINICIAN (APC) STUDENTS: SUPPORTING STUDENT RETURN TO CLINIC DURING COVID-1

The purpose of this quality improvement project was twofold: (1) develop and implement a pilot telehealth training module for advanced practice clinician [APC] students and strengthen APC students’ knowledge and competence in telehealth, and (2) develop standard procedures utilizing evidence-based guidelines on telehealth. The PICOT question was: For APC students in the clinic setting, what effect does a training module, compared to current practice, have on students’ knowledge and skill using a telehealth care model? A telehealth training module [TTM] was created using evidence-based research collected via literature review, key informant interview, telehealth experience and demographics survey and post TTM completion survey. The challenge presented was how to define and develop the appropriate telehealth tools for APC students and how to determine their efficacy. To define telehealth tools for APC students, meetings were held via Google Meet and email communication. A needs assessment was developed that indicated that while telehealth was being used by healthcare facility providers, it was not comprehensive enough to include APC students. This project concluded that inclusion of the TTM in APC student onboarding increased their knowledge, confidence, and use of telehealth when returning to the clinic setting. The postimplementation survey included a free space for write-in comments in which the students provided feedback on the TTM and ways to improve the ways in which telehealth information is provided