Teaching Note—An Interprofessional Book Club: Bringing Together Social Work and Health Affairs Students

The demands for interprofessional education (IPE) are becoming increasingly more explicit among health professions accreditation standards as well as within social work education. The following teaching note describes an interprofessional book discussion related to Paul Kalanithi’s 2016 book, When Breath Becomes Air. The book explores the end of life experience of a young neurosurgical resident unexpectedly diagnosed with terminal cancer. This content allows students to reflect on their mortality while pursuing their educational goals while also addressing clinical concepts related to team-based care, coordination, and personal, familial, and system perspectives of a major health diagnosis. The book is rich with examples for students to engage in interprofessional discussions salient to social work and across disciplines. The following teaching note includes a detailed description for programs wanting to engage in new or increased IPE efforts at their institution. The rationale for why this book was selected, as well as questions to guide discussion, and related social work competencies are included. Further, lessons learned throughout the planning and implementation process, as well as guidance on how this activity could be replicated or adapted for social work and other programs are discussed.