Eight University of Alberta health sciences faculties collaborate to develop and deliver one elective course which provides students with practical and immersive interprofessional (IP) experience in a clinical setting. Health sciences students enhance their IP skills and knowledge by building on four IP competencies: communication, collaboration, role clarification and reflection. This course has served as a bridge from the classroom to the workplace since 1998.
Moving
the classroomLessons learned from
Hatch, Tara, Health Sciences Education and Research Commons • King, Sharla, Health Sciences Education and Research Commons • Guirguis, Lisa, Faculty of Pharmacy • Hall, Mark, Department of Physical Therapy • Kahlke, Renate, Health Sciences Education and Research Commons • McFarlane, LuAnne, Department of Speech Pathology and Audiology • Mulholland, Susan, Department of Occupational Therapy • Patterson, Steve, Department of Dentistry • Pimlott, Jan, Department of Dental Hygiene • Sommerfeldt, Susan, Faculty of Nursing
Interprofessional learning beyond
four student placement models
Conclusions: 1. Careful student selection, opportunities
for student peer contact, as well as clearly defined course activities and objectives which facilitate mutual understanding between students, sites and instructors are necessary foundations for safe and successful placements
2. Student engagement is enhanced through access to patients, practising professionals and applicable projects will cultivate real and relevant learning experiences
3. Site culture which fosters reflective practice facilitates the ability of students to explore team processes
4. Offering a mutual learning opportunity and project products that benefit preceptors, sites and patients maintains university commitment to community engagement
5. One size does not fit all: different models are needed to meet needs of students, varying academic programs and sites and to ensure sustainability
Further reading:Kipp, J., McKim, B., Zieber, C., and Newman, I. (2006). What motivates managers to co-ordinate the learning experience of interprofessional students teams in service delivery settings? Healthcare Management Forum, Summer, 32-38.
Kipp, J., Pimlott, J.F., and Satzinger, F. (2007) Universities preparing health professionals for the 21st century: Can something new come out of the traditional establishment? Journal of Interprofessional Care, 21(6), 633-644.
Philippon, D.J., Pimlott, J.F., King, S., Day, R.A., Cox, C. (2005) Preparing health science students to be effective health care team members: The InterProfessional Initiative at the University of Alberta. Journal of Interprofessional Care, 19(3), 195-206.
Acknowledgements:The authors would like to thank the staff, patient mentors, and sites for their support of students in the course. We would also like to acknowledge Cynthia Strawson-Fawcett for her help and support designing the poster for optimum knowledge translation.
Health Sciences Education and Research Commons Health Sciences CouncilUniversity of Alberta218 TELUS Centre87 Avenue & 111 StreetEdmonton, ABCanada T6G 2R1
www.hserc.ualberta.ca
Poster presented at the 14th Ottawa Conference on the Assessment of Competence in Medicine and the Healthcare Professions, May 2010
Going forward: Need to explore ways to integrate IP learning into existing clinical experience to increase availability of this experience to students
Common Benefits:• Students focus solely on IP in a clinical setting as not
distracted by clinical demands of discipline specific practicum
• Students learn about other professions in real world setting
• Students observe challenge of maintaining reflective practice given clinical demands; success in course motivates students to develop reflective habit of mind
• Students are empowered to provide high stakes feedback
• Students are engaged in their education through real world experience, knowledge exchange with site and in construction of tools that are integrated into team practice and patient care
• Small successes build confidence for student and team with respect to future change
Common Challenges:• High stakes nature of coursework requires intentional
process of contracting with sites to ensure clarity of and openness to coursework and process
• Students may not see change while on site; change may continue after placement
• Students may focus on task at the expense of process
• Due to credit/no credit nature of course, effort and achievement not reflected in GPA
• Difficult to assess IP skills and attitudes
• Coordinating student peer learning is logistically challenging given asynchronous nature of placements
• Difficult to accommodate this elective in various programs - ½ of all participants come from only 3 of 11 disciplines
PEER TEAMStudent teams on uniprofessional placements at a common site:• determine the appropriate assessment and intervention for at
least 2 patients, or• complete a project which addresses a systemic issue
Benefit: and students with greater diversity in skill level
Challenge: Scheduling is logistically challenging as discipline specific practica occur asynchronously
Able to accommodate more students, more disciplines
PATIENT AS MENTORIndividual student accompanies a chronically ill patient as the patient engages with their complex healthcare network. The student provides formal feedback to the patient and care network based on observations.Benefit: Unique patient-centred perspective for students Benefit: Patients and informal caregivers empowered as they illuminate system issues to students and professionalsBenefit: Complexity of patients provides a rich learning opportunityChallenge: Mortality / morbidity of patient mentors presents ethical concerns and limits sustainability Challenge: Increased complexity in preparation of health workers in the system that the student and patient mentor navigate
STUDENT AS CATALYSTIndividual student joins an existing IP team at their practice site to
act as a catalyst to engage that team in reflecting on their IP practice and processes. The student completes a project and provides
feedback on the team's processes.
Benefit: Flexibility in timing of and site location for placements
Benefit: Engaging with practicing professionals provides more authentic learning
Benefit: Sites benefit from project and insights gained from student initiated reflective practice
Challenge: Processes for student selection and support needed to mitigate student isolation, high stakes coursework and / or
potential staff resistanceChallenge: Social risk for staff related to student
observation and feedback
STUDENT AS PARTNERBuilding on the student as catalyst model, an individual
student partners with existing IP clinical and administrative teams of an IP clinical learning unit (IPCLU) to enhance both IP
clinical practice and IP education.Benefit: IPCLU project has fostered a culture within the site of
inquiry and openness to change which reduces amount of preparation and support required for placement
Benefit: Mutually beneficial: students help build IP capacity of site; strong sites improve sustainability of course
Challenge: Limited number of sites (3) currently available to students
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