Transcript Slide 1
Professional identity and shared values across
health and social care students
J.M. Harvey-Lloyd1, H. Rugg2 , Dr. J. Day2, Dr R. Strudwick1
1School
of Science, Technology and Health, University Campus Suffolk
2School of Nursing and Midwifery, University Campus Suffolk, Ipswich
Introduction
Method
Following the Bristol Royal Infirmary inquiry1, the impetus
for interprofessional collaboration grew in momentum.
Closely followed by the Victoria Climbie Inquiry report
further recommendations were made that required
training bodies ‘to demonstrate that effective joint working
between [...] professional groups features in their national
training programmes’2 These and other incidents since
have set out the foundations for the need to implement
interprofessional learning as the basis for collaboration
between professions.
The first year module of the IPL programme at UCS is
named The Professional Person.
In the introductory
workshop to the module, students are asked to consider
issues of professional identity and shared values.
In 2001, the Department of Health reaffirmed its
commitment to the development of common learning
programmes by stating that all health professionals
should expect their education and training to include
common learning with other professionals at every stage
from pre-registration courses through to continuing
professional development3.
In response to both political and educational drivers, an
Interprofessional learning (IPL) programme was
introduced across all undergraduate health and social
care programmes at UCS in 2004. The purpose of the
programme is to encourage pre-registration learners to
learn from each other and to have a greater
understanding of the roles and responsibilities of other
professions.
The cohort of 80 first year undergraduate students were
from a range of health and social care courses - nursing
(adult, child and mental health), operating department
practitioners, social work, diagnostic radiography, therapy
radiography, midwifery. The group was then divided into
small interprofessional groups of 8 members and given the
following questions to discuss.
Question 1:
CAIPE
What is a professional?
‘Interprofessional
education occurs when
two or more
professions learn with,
from and about each
other to improve
collaboration and the
quality of care’5.
Question 2:
What shared values do you have as a
professional?
Following the activity, the group were then asked to
consider the challenges that they faced whilst undertaking
the activity in their interprofessional
Results
What is a professional?
What shared values do you have as a
professional?
What were the challenges when undertaking the
activity?
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Different perspectives of professional identity
Operating from different models of care
Conflicting values
A wide range of different opinions
Lack of knowledge of other professions
Some professional groups were underrepresented due to small cohort numbers
• Out of comfort zone – breaking down barriers
Outcomes and Recommendations
It can be seen from the results that the interprofessional groups:
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were able to discuss and agree on what it is to be a professional
identified shared values in the group regardless of professional background
worked collaboratively on the tasks despite the wide range of opinions and being out of their comfort zone
found the exercise useful in that it enabled students to challenge their thinking and realise as health and social care there are a lot of
commonalities and the necessity to work together for the benefit of the service user
Two primary recommendations from this study are:
• Future consideration of the use of service user patient pathways to illustrate how different professional groups may come into contact with each
other
• Use of some short introductory videos to watch prior to the module to provide the students with information about role of each of the different
professions involved in IPL, allowing students to discuss their roles with one another
References
1 Department of Health (DOH) (2001b) The Bristol Royal Infirmary Inquiry. CM5207 (1). London: HMSO.
2 Department of Health (DOH) (2003) The Victoria Climbie Inquiry: Report of an Inquiry by Lord Laming. London: HMSO.
3 Department of Health (DOH) (2001) New NHS lifelong learning framework. London: HMSO.
4 Centre for the Advancement of Interprofessional Education (CAIPE) (2002) Defining IPE [online]. London: Centre for the Advancement of
Interprofessional Education (CAIPE ). Available from: http://www.caipe.org.uk/about-us/defining-ipe/?keywords=definition [12 August 2008].
Contact: [email protected]