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MSW student competes in National CLARION Case Competition

MSW student Cynthia Royals recently competed in the University of Minnesota’s CLARION case competition. Royals, who is enrolled in the UNC-PrimeCare program, participated in the nationally recognized event with UNC students from the schools of medicine, pharmacy, dentistry, and nursing.

CLARION is a U of M student organization dedicated to improving health care through interprofessional collaboration.

CLARION hosts the annual student case competition for health professional students, enabling them to achieve a 360-degree perspective on patient safety in today’s health care system and how it might be improved. Student teams, consisting of four students, comprised of at least two disciplines, are given a case and are charged with creating a root cause analysis. The team presents their analysis to a panel of interprofessional judges that evaluates their analysis in the context of real world standards of practice.

For the competition, the UNC-CH CLARION Team was given a complex case called, “The Weigh is Over,” which focused on childhood obesity. In their presentation, team members presented their vision for involving local and regional institutions and community resources in an integrated plan that uses best practices and interprofessional teamwork to improve the health care of migrant and immigrant children.

Although the UNC team did not place, faculty advisor Carol Durham, a professor in the School of Nursing, praised the team’s efforts, especially the students’ recognition of the value of an interprofessional approach to health care.