Page 62 - Index

Interprofessional Education Day
University of Waterloo, School of Optometry and Vision Science
Type of Project: Extracurricular / Orientation / Social
Description of the Project: An annual Interprofessional Education Day, known as “IPE Day,” has been established between the University of Waterloo and Western University of Ontario. IPE Day provides an opportunity for learners to work through interprofessional case examples and engage in different discussions with the focus on improving skills within the IPE core competencies. This is accomplished through three main activities:
1. A patient / care team panel
2. A stereotype activity where biases about professional groups are explored
3. A facilitated case discussion involving groups of students from different programs addressing the case through the lens of their profession.
Why the Project was Selected: This project was selected because it highlights the impor- tance of introducing interprofessional collaboration in the first year of a health professional program. Over the past 15 years, Canadian healthcare services have been organizing clinical practices to function more harmoniously in interprofessional teams. Interprofessional teams are defined as groups of professionals that work collaboratively to enhance patient centered care. This team-based care is organized to better meet population needs and to provide improved service integration and co-ordination of different health professions. In order to effectively develop the skills necessary to collaborate outside of a specific profession’s exper- tise, health professionals need to work outside the scope of their own professional identity and learn about the expertise and values of other health disciplines.
Interprofessional educational (IPE) programs have been established in health professional programs such as medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, optometry and social work. Ideally, IPE should be set within collaborative practice settings where learners can be exposed to practical educational experiences. It is thought that if learners are trained to be competent collaborative practitioners, more collaborative practice settings will be developed over time, which will ultimately enhance patient outcomes, improve system effectiveness and reduce healthcare costs. To facilitate the outcome of a collaborative practice, the implementation of true IPE activity should be introduced in the first year of a health professional program curriculum.
Learning Objectives:
At the conclusion of IPE Day, first year health professional learners will be able to:
Ë Explain their role within a health care team
Ë Describe the role of other health professions within a health care team
Ë Discuss the importance of interprofessional collaboration within patient care
Targeted Participants: First year health professional learners from medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, optometry, nursing and social work. A total of approximately 500 students attend the event; 90 are first year optometry learners.
60
ASCO IPECP Toolkit
June 2020