In collaboration with the Australasian Interprofessional Practice and Education Network (AIPPEN), Monash University have developed the infographic below. It provides guidance on how to prepare for, facilitate during and reflection on interprofessional placement activities. (Click on the image to view in full).
Source: Monash University (2021) Guide to facilitating interprofessional education. Reproduced with permission from https://www.monash.edu/medicine/education/ccc
In this video, Jacqui Broadbridge outlines her approach to orientation, identifies the strengths associated with interprofessional education placements, how to manage a ‘silo/tribe’ mindset, and troubleshoots some of the common challenges experienced by supervisors:
Establishing IPE opportunities
Since 2011, the Curtin Interprofessional Practice clinic has been delivered in partnership between Curtin University and a primary school in Perth. The clinic offers free allied health services to support the learning and development of school children. The services available include speech pathology, occupational therapy, physiotherapy, social work, psychology and dietetics. Curtin University students work collaboratively on this IPE placement to deliver the service, allowing them to develop their understanding of how other professions work within a paediatric setting. In this video Alison Mills, Clinics Program Coordinator from Curtin University explains the placement model used in this IPE setting:
In this next video, Alison Mills, Clinics Program Coordinator from Curtin University reflects on the considerations when implementing and maintaining an IPE placement:
Now click through the accordion below to explore the following content areas in more detail:
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Getting started – top tips for supervisors
Universities tend to have their own IPE curriculum, so when planning for an IPE opportunity, supervisors should:
- Contact the relevant university for information relating to IPE placements and curriculum requirements.
- Establish the IPE education students have received prior to commencing their placement.
A Kick-start guide to Interprofessional Fieldwork: Developing capabilities for future work (Brewer & Flavell, 2018) provides supervisors with tips for planning IPE placements including:
- Before you begin designing IPE placements
- Leading IPE programs
- Designing and implementing IPE placements (including theoretical frameworks, constructive alignment, staff training and student orientation)
- Evaluating and disseminating IPE placements
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Considering IPE opportunities and activities for your site
There are many opportunities for interprofessional education in a student placement. Some examples of interactive learning include:
Information exchange based - Use a topic or case that is relevant to a range of health professionals (Some examples include models of care, referral pathways, micro-counselling skills, building a therapeutic relationship with a client) to bring students on placement together to undertake activities including a debate, tutorial or workshop/Inservice or structure case study where that allow students from different professions to discuss their roles and scope of practice in the context of the care of a client.
Observation based - Observation of a patient consult/group therapy sessions to enhance student understanding of interprofessional teamwork
- Attendance at a team meeting, discharge planning meeting or ward round to provide students with an opportunity to observe team communication
- Shadowing a health professional (or student health professional) from another profession providing care
Action based - Joint research or quality improvement project (one that requires input from more than one health profession)
- Problem-based learning or case-based learning – use of ‘buddies’ from different professions to provide students with insight into another’s roles and responsibilities in the delivery of client care
Simulation based - Experiential group work in a simulated ward, where students prepare a joint handover report
- Role play or drama to enact the realities of practice to initiate debate and discussion (including the perspective of the client/patient)
Source: Freeth, D. S., Hammick, M., Reeves, S., Koppel, I., & Barr, H. (2005). Effective interprofessional education: development, delivery, and evaluation. Wiley-Blackwell.
In this video, Teresa and Anne from the School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, University of Queensland, discuss how learning opportunities can be facilitated during an interprofessional student placement (02:20):
Useful resources
- A Kick-start guide to Interprofessional Fieldwork: Developing capabilities for future work (Brewer & Flavell, 2018)
- University of Toronto Flexible Learning Activities
Reflect
Consider your own practice and workplace setting. What unique IPE opportunities does your workplace provide? Make a list and discuss these opportunities with your student? Ask your student to link their identified learning goals with the learning opportunities that your workplace can offer.
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Learning outcomes for students
The table below unpacks some of the learning outcomes associated with interprofessional education.
Outcome/theme Sub-themes Teamwork Students gain knowledge and skills in:
- collaborating with other health professionals to facilitate interprofessional care,
- recognising common goals,
- understanding team dynamics and power relationships,
- recognising barriers to teamwork, and
- cooperation and accountability.
Roles/ responsibilities Students can describe similarities and differences in the roles, responsibilities and expertise of team members and gain knowledge in:
- different philosophies of care,
- health systems,
- and their own professional scope and boundaries.
Communication Students appreciate the differences in professionals’ language and learn to communicate with other students and professionals involved with client care. This can include:
- active listening to the ideas of other team members,
- shared decision making, and
- negotiation and conflict resolution.
Client centred Students value and seek out opportunities to work together as a team in the best interests of the client. This can include:
- understanding the client’s role and perspective as a partner within the team
- recognising the client’s needs, and
- managing client safety concerns.
Ethics/ attitudes Students gain knowledge and skills in:
- respecting and acknowledging the views and ideas of other health professionals, even when they may be different from their own,
- coping with uncertainty, and
- ethical issues relating to teamwork.
Adapted from: Thistlethwaite, J. & Moran, M. (2010). Learning outcomes for interprofessional education (IPE): Literature review and synthesis. Journal of Interprofessional Care, 24 (5), 503–513. https://doi.org/10.3109/13561820.2010.483366
As you can see, learning outcomes include teamwork, communication, reflection, and understanding ethics, attitudes, and client centred care. The knowledge and skills students achieve from these learning outcomes will guide their transition to a competent health professional.
The learning outcomes from these IPE opportunities then contribute to profession-specific supervisor evaluation of student performance.
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Interprofessional education placement examples
Some IPE examples can be viewed in the videos below:
IPE education example
The video ‘Interprofessional model’ (00:03:15), illustrates an interprofessional education placement model used by the Institute of Urban Indigenous Health:
IPE aged care example
- Brightwater Interprofessional Education (3:31):
- Brightwater Interprofessional Education – student placement with Brightwater Care Group (2:04):
Other resources:
- Queensland Health - Capricornia Student Led Clinic
- UQ Health Care student assisted clinics
- Student assisted clinics to support neurological rehabilitation in remote Queensland
- Monash collaborative care curriculum framework:
- IPE simulation scenarios Edith Cowan University including video clips, proposed learning format and competencies and a facilitator manual for each topic.
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IPE - learning goals and debrief
It is important that the supervisor develop and share the learning goals for the IPE experience with the student. An example learning goal might be: ‘student able to identify the roles of three other health professions following the case meeting’.
Following the IPE experience, the supervisor and student should debrief to discuss:
- Their rationale for choosing particular interventions
- What the student in their own role would look for in the same situation
- Which roles could potentially be shared, and which are profession specific
- Who else might need to be included in the patient’s care.
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All discussions need to be focused on the overarching session goals
Useful resources:
References:
References remain valid until superseded by later research. The resources referenced here are regularly reviewed and are considered current and relevant to the topics presented.:
- About the Health Fusion Health Care Team Challenge, (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.healthfusionteamchallenge.com/
- Thistlethwaite, J. & Moran, M. (2010). Learning outcomes for interprofessional education (IPE): Literature review and synthesis. Journal of Interprofessional Care, 24 (5), 503–513. https://doi.org/10.3109/13561820.2010.483366
- Occupational Therapy Clinical Education Program (2019) Factsheet: Supporting student learning through interprofessional opportunities. Queensland Health
- Freeth, D. S., Hammick, M., Reeves, S., Koppel, I., & Barr, H. (2005). Effective interprofessional education: development, delivery, and evaluation. Wiley-Blackwell.
