Interprofessionalism in Motion A Student Perspective M. Yeung, N. Soobul, T. Coulter

1. Interprofessionalism in MotionA Student PerspectiveM. Yeung, N. Soobul, T. Coulter Our Journey Excellent teamwork has the potential to improve both the quality and swiftness in which patients receive care. Interprofessional education gives students the opportunity to develop patient and carer relationships by placing them in the centre of service delivery. In doing so, not only do they learn the values of patients, but also the importance of inter-disciplinary teamwork. Following basic principles, students from both health and social care settings work together to learn together.Here at the University of Leicester and De Montfort University, we employ a three strand model towards Interprofessional Education. As first year students we have completed strand one and stand two. Strand one introduces concepts of teamwork and stereotypes while strand two (Health in the Community) incorporates active collaborative working within a range of health and social care professionals to maximise better patient outcomes. This is our primary focus coupled with a continuous cycle of ‘learning and doing’ while at the same time also building on past and present experiences. By highlighting the importance of reflection, we are able to constantly stay innovative in our journey to improve care for patients. “There is no “I” in team.  Different professionals offer different strengths and weaknesses and as they work together strengths are reinforced and weaknesses are eliminated.” – Medical student “Listening to their experiences and analysing this to identify how it can improve practice.” – Social Work student Decreases Gaps in Service Interdisciplinary teams work more effectively together, rather than in isolation, as they draw upon the collective strengths of team members’ experiences and perspectives to address healthcare problems. [1] By doing so, the patient will be provided with ongoing care in every aspect of their condition, from problems with hearing (eg. Audiologist) to the loss of basic motor functions (eg. Physiotherapist). Team Awareness All individuals must have an understanding of the other disciplines of other team members, so that their contribution may strive to develop harmony among the diverse members of the team and guarantee a successful outcome for the patient. [2] Members of a team must remain open in agreeing that care is improved when delivered by a functional interdisciplinary team. Reflection An active process of looking back on a past experience, thinking about it, learning from it, and applying it to improve future practice. It promotes recognition of good standards and encourages adherence to them. Ultimately, it enables one to be self critical and is known to increase professional knowledge which is of benefit to both the patient and service provider.[3] r Patient Centred Care Communication between health and social care providers and the patient is essential in the delivery of safe and high quality care. The ideas, concerns and expectations of the patient may be challenging for interdisciplinary teams at times, but must be considered in order to gain a more informed picture of the individual and their requirements. Addressing these components is consistent with a holistic approach to care thereby leading to an improvement in patient satisfaction, concordance and ultimately better outcomes. Shared Learning Shared learning between health and social care professionals has been known to improve the ability of individuals to work together in optimising future service delivery. Learning from peers does not only provide the opportunity to learn about other disciplines, but also teaches the individuals about co-operative team working in future practice.[5] This process begins early on in their careers with skills being maintained , improved and developed to promote commitment towards Continuing Professional Development (CPD). Mission Statement “The whole is greater than the sum of its parts.”[4] The setting of goals focuses individuals to direct their efforts towards relevant activities in order to ensure that they have a clear perspective of what must be achieved. The prioritisation of services and resources ensures long term vision and motivation whilst instilling a sense of ownership in each member, thus leading to a boost in team morale. Conclusion We believe health and social care professionals work successfully when not in opposition with one another, but instead in collaboration with each other. This is facilitated through interprofessional learning which encourages interaction between all the different professionals on a greater scale. Working alongside students studying various health and social care disciplines has helped us realise how imperative it is to work in unison together as “it is not enough to become an individual competent practitioner but also to be able to interact effectively with colleagues from other professions.” [6] * The word patient is used on this poster to embrace all terms used by different health and social care disciplines to describe the general public receiving care services e.g. service users, client etc. REFERENCES: [1] Coopman, S. J. “Democracy, performance, and outcomes in interdisciplinary health care teams.” Journal of Business Communication. 2001; 38(3): 261-284 [2] Rees, G., Edmunds, S., & Huby, G. “Evaluation and development of integrated teams: the use of significant event analysis.” Journal of Interprofessional Care. 2005; 19(2): 125-136 [3] Bailey, J. “Reflective Practice: Implementing theory.” Nursing Standard 1995; 9(46): 29-31 [4] Apker, J., Propp, K. M., & Ford, W. S. Z. “Negotiating status and identity tensions in healthcare team interactions: An exploration of nurse role dialectics.” Journal of Applied Communication Research. 2005; 33(2): 93-115 [5] Barr, H. 2003. “Interprofessional education today, yesterday and tomorrow. UK: Learning and Teaching Support Network for Health Sciences and Practice, Centre for Health Science and Practice. [6] New Generation Project. (2003) Inter-Professional Learning Resources File for Study Block A. Southampton. About the Authors… Melvin Yeung: First-Year Medical Student (Undergraduate Entry Medicine) studying at University of Leicester Natasha Soobul: First-Year Medical Student (Graduate Entry Medicine) studying at University of Leicester Tiffany Coulter: First-Year Speech and Language Therapist studying at De Montfort University