1. 1
Right Start Forum
All together now!
An integrated inter-professional learning program for rural
health students at the University of New England.
.
27 February 2012
Team Health Right Start Program Showcase
27 February 2012

2. 2
Project Team
Presenter/Project Leader: Associate Professor Penny
Paliadelis, Deputy Head of School (Teaching &
Learning),School of Health, University of New England.
Project Team: Jackie Lea, (Nursing Lecturer, UNE)
Anthea Fagan ( Clinical Coordinator, School of Health, UNE)
Ieva Stupans (Professor of Pharmacy, UNE)
Dr Maree Puxty (Clinical Dean, School of Rural Medicine, UNE)
Linda Turner (Associate Professor of Social Work)
Clinical Colleagues from Hunter New England Health and consumer representatives
Team Health Right Start Program Showcase
27 February 2012

3. 3
Introduction & Background
 TheUniversity of New England offers a range of
professional-entry health courses in nursing,
medicine, social work and pharmacy.
 The Team Health Right Start funded program brought
a number of these students together to work
collaboratively to address two rurally-focused
simulated case scenarios, during a 2-day workshop
supported by an online learning space.
Team Health Right Start Program Showcase
27 February 2012

4. 4
Aim & Methods
Upon completion of this program students were able to:
 Understand and articulate strategies that promote effective teamwork that
can enhance staff satisfaction and consumer outcomes.
 Demonstrate enhanced effective teamwork in applying clinical judgment to
range of simulated situations.
 Develop skills in applying reflection in and on practice.
 Integrate effective communication skills into practice situations using a
variety of evidence-based frameworks.
 Integrate an enhanced understanding of the roles of each professional group
within effective healthcare teams.
 Appreciate the influence of human factors in the provision of effective
interprofessional safe, high quality patient-centered care.
Team Health Right Start Program Showcase
27 February 2012

5. 5
Project outline
 Participating students were
enrolled in an online site offered
via the Moodle platform and
then came together during the
2-day workshop held on 4-5
November 2011. They were
guided to consider the care of
two clients from a client journey
perspective and reflect on their
delivery of effective inter-
professional care in a rural
context.
Team Health Right Start Program Showcase
27 February 2012

6. 6
Project Content
The two simulated case scenarios were
set in a rural context and developed by
the project team in consultation with
rural clinicians and consumer
representatives.
 Scenario 1 was based around a Mr
Boney, an indigenous male with a
complex health and social history and
renal dysfunction.
 Scenario 2 was an elderly woman, Mrs
Johnson, who had a range of social,
health, medication issues.
 Facilitator notes and complete scripts for
both scenarios were developed and
actors were used to simulate Mrs
Johnson and Mr Boney’s relatives.
Team Health Right Start Program Showcase
27 February 2012

7. 7
Evaluation processes
In total 28 students completed the program:
 9 nursing students
 8 pharmacy students
 6 medical students
 5 social work students
A range of evaluations were conducted to capture consumer representative, student &
project team impressions of the program:
 UNE developed pre and post program surveys were embedded in the Moodle activities
 Quantitative data about the value of the workshop activities for students and the
project team was conducted via an audience response tool during the concluding
session of the workshop.
 An evaluation tool prescribed by CETI was administered post-workshop
 Qualitative comments were sought from participating students, consumer
representatives and project team members.
Team Health Right Start Program Showcase
27 February 2012

8. 8
Pre and post workshop survey results
 The data suggests that while overall the  Post workshop results were very
students were very receptive to the encouraging, as they indicate that the
notion of inter-professional students found the program a positive
learning/practice, fifty percent of them experience that provided then with
felt that members of their profession insights into how inter-professional
currently practice autonomously. learning and practice contributes to the
delivery of quality patient care.
 Nearly half of them thought that inter-
professional learning was hard to
implement, although unanimously they
 One hundred percent of students felt
disagreed that inter-professional
that the program was pitched at the right
learning was a waste of time.
level and 90% agreed that this program
 These results indicate that the students was valuable for their learning.
came to this program with an
enthusiasm to engage with clinical
colleagues from across the discipline
groups.
Team Health Right Start Program Showcase
27 February 2012

9. 9
Audience response feedback
 Q. Did the workshop and panel Q. Did you gain a better working
discussions aid in understanding knowledge of the roles of other health
interprofessional teamwork? professionals?
10%
9.5%
90%
90.5%
Yes No Yes No
Team Health Right Start Program Showcase
27 February 2012

10. 10
Qualitative feedback
 I liked the fact that the inter-  The development and delivery of the
professional learning activity gave program was rather rushed, due to the
each profession a chance to short timeframes, however, despite this,
the students gained a lot from it, and I
understand other professions in
personally delighted in networking with a
relation to improving patient care range of academic and clinical
and a chance to include the patient colleagues(project team member)
themselves in that process
 It was really interesting to see how
(student)
the doctors and nurses approached
 The contribution of the social worker to these cases, it gave me a new look
assist with psychosocial, financial, at how these sort of teams really
logistic, and domestic concerns, enables need to work together to provide the
more clinical, pathophysiological issues best care for each patient (consumer
to be addressed and hopefully resolved rep)
by clinical staff such as doctors, nurses
and pharmacists (student)
Team Health Right Start Program Showcase
27 February 2012

11. 11
Conclusions & Lessons Learned
 This program provided students with the opportunity to work together in
response to two complex clinical scenarios. The 2-day workshop was well
received with students clearly engaging with the 2 scenarios and working as
effective teams to provide holistic care for the simulated patients.
 What worked well: The use of actors as patients and relatives made the
scenarios more ‘realistic’. The debrief sessions and panel discussions on the
2nd day allowed the students to reflect on their individual performances and
the performances of the teams.
 What could have worked better: More student participants, longer debriefing
sessions for each inter-professional group, pharmacy students provided with
a full list of medications before the simulations.
Team Health Right Start Program Showcase
27 February 2012

12. 12
Where to from here?
 This type of learning activity will continue to be used at
UNE to engage groups of health students to provide
patient-centered care and consider their role in inter-
professional teams.
 The structure of the program lends itself to adaptation to
meet the learning needs of students and practicing
clinicians across a range of disciplines.
 Discussions are underway with local clinical colleagues to
consider how to further develop this type of program for a
variety of uses and learning needs.
Team Health Right Start Program Showcase
27 February 2012

13. 13
Thank You
Questions?
Team Health Right Start Program Showcase
27 February 2012