For five years, the University of Kentucky (UK) Center for Interprofessional Healthcare Education and Research has been sending medicine, nursing, physical therapy, dentistry, and public health students out to work with horses as part of their semester-long Leadership Legacy Program.

Lissa Pohl, MA, program and outreach associate in the Department of Community & Leadership Development, and master trainer for the Equine Experiential Education Association, has facilitated workshops for up to 24 students per year teaching self and social awareness (emotional intelligence), intention, presence, and patient-centered care.

Jason Parmer, of Dapper Agency for UK’s College of Nursing, created a video to demonstrate how powerful this type of experiential learning is in teaching competencies that support effective communication and relationships across healthcare professions. Many thanks to Janie Heath, PhD, APRN-BC, FAAN, dean of the College of Nursing, and James C. Norton, PhD, for allowing us to share this video with those interested in equine-assisted learning.

Lissa Pohl, MA, program and outreach associate in the Department of Community & Leadership Development, provided this information