Making interprofessional education real: a university clinic model

Abstract

Interprofessional education (IPE) is an emerging focus in the professional training of allied health students. To date, IPE has occurred in classroom teaching or case simulations, rather than in the provision of client services. At the University of Queensland, students in occupational therapy, speech pathology and music therapy participate in both on-campus and community-based IPE clinics conducted by university staff. These clinics are planned and implemented to promote interprofessional learning for students, and to provide integrated service provision for children and young people in the community. An adapted version of Bronstein's model of interdisciplinary collaboration is used to guide IPE processes, including team orientation, joint goal-setting and intervention planning, and integrated delivery of therapy sessions. The development and implementation of these IPE clinics is described, together with chal- THERE IS A GROWING emphasis on providing interprofessional education (IPE) opportunities in allied health clinical training environments. 1 The aim of such opportunities is to develop interprofessional practice (IPP) skills which are considered to best meet the needs of clients with a variety of disabilities.2 IPP occurs when professions actively collaborate with each other with the main aim of improving the quality of patient care.3 Social and demographic trends, such as increasing mobility, multiculturalism and ageing populations, demand that health professionals work more collaboratively.4-6 Such collaboration may be facilitated through the exchange of information and sharing of experience between profes- What is known about the topic? Interprofessional education (IPE) is an emerging focus in health education but there are limited opportunities for pre-registration health professional students to have authentic and integrated IPE clinical experience. What does this paper add?This paper describes a series of innovative community-based clinics that provide IPE opportunities for students of occupational therapy, speech-language pathology and music therapy. An adaptation of the Bronstein Model is used to describe the educational processes used in these clinics to promote best practice in interprofessional therapy provision. What are the implications for practitioners?This model provides a template for how a group of practitioners from different disciplines can create opportunities for authentic interprofessional student education, while providing an innovative and cost neutral service with community partners.

Australian Clinician’s Views on Interprofessional Education for Students in the Rural Clinical Setting

“…The benefits of incorporating IPE into clinical education for patient care and preparedness for practice identified by participants-namely, developing a greater understanding of other health professional roles and functions, improving teamwork skills, and setting common goals for patient care-were similar to those cited in the literature [2,4,6].…”

“…However, further resources are required in order to run mock scenarios in the ward areas, as moving the mannequin is not easy. " The need for space was also identified by Copley et al [6]. Although space can be a limiting issue, using small group sizes, providing designated student learning areas, and incorporating routine cross disciplinary learning in those units and departments that students do not usually have exposure to may provide opportunities for increasing IPE without requiring large learning spaces.…”

“…A pharmacist indicated there was an "opportunity for student exposure to different areas, but time management can be a barrier." Timetabling and logistics have also been identified as barriers to IPE by others [6,18]. Copley et al [6] suggest that timetabling barriers can only be overcome by planning for IPE and building it into the curriculum.…”

“…Interprofessional education involves all health professions and is education expressly intended to promote the effectiveness of a health team to support interprofessional practice (IPP) and improve the quality of care (Table 1) [2,[6][7]. An understanding of different disciplinary practices and values increases interprofessional cultural competence, an identified pre-requisite for collaborative practice [8].…”

Would a student midwife run postnatal clinic make a valuable addition to midwifery education in the UK? — A systematic review

“…The majority of the studies were published in peer-reviewed journals, dated between 2001 and 2012 and were undertaken by research teams in the USA (34,36,37,39) and Australia (35,38) (Table 1). Models of service differed between all of these studies ( Table 2), with some clinics being based within universities (35,36,37,38) and others in community-based locations (34,39). Single discipline students ran some clinics and others were multidisciplinary, with a combination of medical, health and social care students.…”