FORT SMITH, AR – Nearly 500 students from all Arkansas Colleges of Health Education (ACHE) programs came together for the inaugural ACHE Unified Field Day.
Hosted by the ACHE Center for Clinical Skills Development, the large-scale event brought together students from the Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO), Doctor of Occupational Therapy (OTD), Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT), Master of Science in Biomedicine (MSB), and Master of Public Health (MPH) programs for a full day of teamwork, competition, and hands-on learning.
Unlike traditional field days, the Unified Field Day combined academic and clinical challenges with wellness and fun. Students were randomly assigned to interprofessional teams, each including members from every ACHE program, to encourage collaboration and understanding across disciplines. Teams created their own names and logos before moving through a series of interactive stations located throughout campus.
Activities included a geriatric safety station, where participants simulated performing daily tasks while experiencing conditions such as limited vision or peripheral neuropathy; a patient safety escape room, where students identified risks and mistakes in a simulated patient room; and Cardiac Corner, which challenged students to recognize common EKG rhythms in both adults and pediatric patients. Other stations tested skills in public health, clinical reasoning, teamwork, and patient care.
“The goal of this event is multi-fold,” said Kerrie Sanders, Director of the ACHE Center for Clinical Skills Development. “First, the students work side by side with peers who will one day be clinicians in different patient care fields, fostering understanding and respect among professions. By gamifying these skills, we hope students retain the information and become more familiar with the concepts needed to treat patients safely and effectively.”
Sanders added that the ultimate goal of the event is to advance patient safety and advocacy through experiential learning. “These students will soon be treating patients across the nation. The care they provide will reflect our institution’s values. Through activities like this, we can help shape that care, improve the culture of medicine, and empower our students to change lives beyond the traditional scope of medicine.”
