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ABSTRACT
Interprofessional collaboration is critical for optimal healthcare. Preparing for a collaborative, practice-ready workforce, the Interprofessional Learning Competencies (IPLCs) were adopted for accreditation of Australian entry-level health, nursing and medical tertiary training programs. In order to meet new accreditation standards, activities which facilitate and assess IPLC attainment must be identified. Interprofessional education programs have not evaluated student interprofessional learning activities using the Australian IPLCs. This project evaluates students’ experiences of the IPLCs during ‘Inspiring Health,’ a community-based interprofessional placement, and determines whether reflections can effectively assess IPLC attainment. Forty-nine students from seven Flinders University health and social science programs completed written reflections about four self-selected IPLCs. The results indicated that students had opportunities to attain all the IPLCs. Their reflections were analyzed using thematic analysis. Three themes were identified: the processes by which students learned, the outcomes of their learning, and the factors that influenced their learning. Ultimately, these findings describe a beneficial community-based interprofessional learning activity for attainment of the Australian IPLCs and provide evidence that student reflections can be used to assess the Australian IPLCs.
Declaration of Interest
The authors report no conflict of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of this article.
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Notes on contributors
Susan Gordon
Susan Gordon worked clinically as a Physiotherapist before commencing a teaching and research academic role in 2006. Her current role as Strategic Professor and Chair of Restorative Care in Ageing is co-funded by Flinders University and Aged Care Housing Group, an aged care provider in Australia. In her academic roles she has led and supervised many interprofessional learning and teaching projects, mostly in collaboration with health, local government and business partners, to improve the delivery of prevention and intervention health services in Australia.
Christopher Lind
Christopher Lind is an Associate Professor in Audiology at Flinders University in Australia. Christopher has practised, taught and researched for more than 30 years in adult hearing rehabilitation, communication in dementia as well as in university education. The focus of Christopher's research into university education is to understand the student experience in classroom and clinical activities in order to address students' needs arising as a result.
Karinna Hall
Karinna Hall is a speech pathologist with three years' experience in research. Her research interests include family-centred care, interprofessional practice, and everyday communication. She is based at Flinders University, Australia.
Nicky Baker
Nicky Baker has 30 years' clinical experience as a physiotherapist which drives her passion for excellence in client centred care. Her research interests combine interprofessional practice, particularly collaborative teamwork and effective communication, with client self-efficacy in relation to health and wellbeing. She is based at the Flinders University Clinical Teaching and Education Centre which is based at ViTA, a shared facility between Flinders University, South Australia Health and Aged Care Housing Group in Adelaide, South Australia.