Clinics-in-common: Creating uncommon professionals.

Abstract

i at Ma noa Most professional educational programs develop specialized experts who view problems from the perspectives of their own disciplines. Yet, our most pressing social problems are rarely limited to a single disciplinary approach. Instead of providing future professionals with the tools necessary for solving problems that cross disciplines, many professional training programs inadvertently stifle multidisciplinary communication and collaboration by isolating students from students in other disciplines. Practitioners are trained to manage societal problems rather than to solve them within varied communities. This article describes an innovative multidisciplinary clinic model based at the University of Hawai'i's William S. Richardson School of Law that focuses specifically on the needs of children who have entered or are at risk of entering the foster care system. It also discusses a medical-legal partnership within a community health center based on principles learned and experiences gained from this unique model.

Utilizing Community Partners to Enhance Quality Intern Training

“…However,, other disciplines, such as education and public health, have shown utility in collaborating with community partners to enhance outcomes for the community as well as individuals (Barrera, 2015;Parker et al, 2017). In Hawaii, Kimura et al (2011) studied the importance of working across disciplines and developing partnerships as a way to expand training programs for students in education, law, nursing and social work. They found that using a collaborative and multi-disciplinary approach was beneficial to the students' professional development.…”