1. Inter-professional Collaboration In Practice Essay
Inter-professional Collaboration In Practice EssayAccording to Malin and Morrow (2007,
p.448), Interprofessional Collaboration occurs when there is an exchange of professional
ideas, between two or more professionals in a bid towards the improvement of the delivery
of quality health care. Interprofessional education thus entails the education on how
interprofessional collaboration can effectively take place. Interprofessional learning
therefore helps to bolster teamwork as well as collaborative quality care for the benefit of
the end user ( Frost & Robinson, p.2007, p.191). I will discuss core learning experiences that
I was able to garner through the seminars and group work. I will further narrate how this
intertwines with scholarly work on IP and most importantly, how I can best put this into
valuable practice Inter-professional Collaboration In Practice EssayThe discussions by
Professor Mier's (2010) presentation gave lots of insights since it enabled team members to
discuss their varied professions. Professor Mier's presentation was mainly on IP education
which mainly discussed how members of different groups can be able to succinctly
understand each other in terms of their varied behavior and language affiliations. This is
because; these are the two most imperative elements that are key to effective
communication. It was not hard to establish a formidable tie as a group. We hastily began to
communicate and share our professional ideas and experiences. There was increased
collaboration as every team member contributed towards the discussions. It was indeed
interesting to hear different views from the team members. I learnt a lot about diversity on
the subject.Subsequently, our limited experience in the field or workplace made most of the
team members to merely speculate the kind of behavior that they would exhibit. We merely
agreed that these behaviors exist in reality in the actual workplace. What I noticed was a
general assumption by UWE was that medical students were generally different from the
rest in terms of their professional behavior and background. All the team members
concurred with this fact especially when the team members from the medical profession
arrived late. There were several ideologies that the students discussed in low tones relating
to the behavior of these students. However, this was only qualified by the fact that the
medical profession students liked discussing their peers' conduct and professional ethics.
Here, I learnt that medical students had issues with each other's conduct which frequently
extended to the rest of the other students. They were constantly evaluating each other's
work. Inter-professional Collaboration In Practice EssayMy group members concurred that
the medical students often exhibited this trend. The rest of the team members agreed that
the time limit of working in groups could not be construed to mean that medical students
2. were often too pervasive. The setting of the group work was more controlled, thus limiting
the results of the findings (Baldwin, 2007, p.102). It was agreed within my group that the
real picture could be depicted in the work place though with limited variations. This was the
case with the attitude of the medical students towards other medical students as well as the
other students in general. The multi-disciplinary team meeting gave me insights and
adequate experience in relation to the kind of communication among different professional
team members (Golanowski, et al, 2007, p.352). Such enabled me to learn a lot regarding
the kind of elucidation that should be developed from such impasse. Inter-professional
Collaboration In Practice EssayOur first task was mainly to establish all the health and
social issues that the service user needs to acknowledge and have sufficient knowledge in.
according to me, this was not holistic since it approached the issue from an individualistic
point of view (Thompson, 2007, p.19). The needs of the individual team members were
hence construed to mean what happens in the actual work place. All in all, we concluded
that health and social care professionals must develop a rapport so that they may work
together towards the provision of quality care to their patients. I also learnt that although
this might be difficult owing to the dynamic changes in the health and social care facet due
to the dwindling resources (Baxter & Brumfitt, 2008, p.129). The last 10 years has seen
many changes in the health and social care professional field. However, this should not
affect the quality of delivering quality health care to patients. The onus of providing this
kind of quality care to patients lies with every member of the professional team, both
individually and collectively. Inter-professional Collaboration In Practice EssayI also learnt
that health and social professional teams should learn to downplay their differences for the
common good of their patients. I also learnt that the power and authority held by doctors in
the past affected the IP collaboration. The other team members felt beaten at it. However,
this has changed owing to the modern reorganization of the healthcare delivery. I learnt
that other team members have now been given a chance to take lead roles in the delivery of
quality health and social care (Junger et al., 2007, p.351). This kind of delegation was
necessary due to the busy schedule of the doctors. This had to be communicated effectively
within the Interprofessional teams. Nurses have been empowered and can now play a vital
role which was traditionally reserved for lead doctors in the health care centers (Fear &
Renzie-Brett, 2007, p.111). IP working has therefore made nurses more powerful and
authoritative thus providing them with ardent experience to further their careers.Our group
identified job satisfaction as the first requirement that had to be fulfilled. Every IP team
member had to feel appreciated and necessary within the IP setting in the health and social
care unit. We also discussed how the economic status, effective communication and team
spirit and encouragement can foster such kind of change. Consequently, in order to
integrate a feasible working team, financial resource must be at the disposal of the health
care institution. This will bolster a stable workforce which would work within their
effective teams to ensure that they promote the wellbeing of their health care organization
(Glasby & Dickinson, 2008, p.32). Inter-professional Collaboration In Practice EssayAs a
future midwife, I acknowledge the fact that working together as a team is integral to the
success of my career. There are many times when I will have to consult various health and
social care practitioners to effectively treat or deal with complications at birth. Likewise,
3. such professional team members may require my help in dealing with social, physical and
mental health problems (Foucault, 1998, p.17). I also appreciate the fact that effective
communication within the IP teams is key since no professional staff within the health and
social care can work in isolation. Professional health and social team members should
attend the same training session so as to improve their IP team collaboration.My internship
at the neonatal intensive care unit enabled me to gain useful insight and experience. This
enabled me to contribute immensely at the conference and to also share my experience with
other professional students. I also learnt important aspects of IP communication and
working that are integral to the success of IP collaboration. These include, not using jargons,
listening whenever other team members are talking, questioning assumptions sensibly,
promoting the rights and dignity of IP team members (Dwyer, 2007, p.51). Inter-
professional Collaboration In Practice EssayI was also able to learn that certain general
terms used by patients to refer to their illness may indeed cause great confusion among
professional health and social care practitioners. These are referred to as stereotypes
(Larkin & Callaghan, 2005, p.341). In such a situation, the health and social professional
practitioner should consult the other members of his or her IP group or team so as to come
up with the proper interpretation thus limit errors in the treatment of the patient's
condition (Cooper & Spencer-Dawe, 2006, p.614).The group discussion on IP education
enabled me to visualize the reality between theory and practice. The patient-centred
perspective was clearly illuminated by the patient's voice presentation. The exclusion of IP
working has been seen in collaborative treatment. Decisions made by individual
inexperienced doctors have been tragic. The case of Victoria Climbie and Baby Peter can
best illuminate this when Baby Tiffany passed on due to negligence. Findings from this
tragic situation enabled doctors and nurses to establish a framework that saw the
prevention of such situations. It was agreed that IP teams would not be able to prevent the
occurrence of every tragic incidence. Some would indeed be inevitable. Inter-professional
Collaboration In Practice EssaySECTION TWO:DISCUSS HOW YOU WOULD TAKE WHAT
YOU HAVE LEARNT ABOUT IP WORKING INTO PRACTICEThere are several issues that were
illuminated in the Bristol conference on Interprofessional education which would be
imperative in my current and future practice. First and foremost, I learnt how to be an
effective communicator (Foreman, 2008, p.210). As such, I learnt to be an effective listener,
learn to question assumptions and respect other team members within the IP group. As a
future midwife, I will be able to acknowledge the role of teamwork in the delivery of quality
health and social care to my patients. In this section, I will discuss how the lessons that I
have learnt will bolster my future career of midwifery and also how I will be able to develop
into an effective IP team member. Inter-professional Collaboration In Practice EssayMy
experience during my internship enabled me to meet a pregnant woman and her spouse
who did not have an idea of how to take care of their first born child. The midwife at hand
had not idea of how to help this couple. She did not understand her genesis and thought the
issue would be sorted out by a one-off meeting with the couple. She actually thought that
she had all the solutions that the couple required. What I learnt later was that the midwife
would have addressed this issue best by holding a multi-disciplinary meeting with the rest
of the qualified staff who have the prowess in certain key areas (Leeson, 2007, p.492). This
4. would have sparked an exchange of professional ideas thus enabling the troubled couple to
overcome their knowledge deficit.The Interprofessional education would also enable me to
involve all the necessary stakeholders in cases of emergency so as to limit conflicts and
ensure the delivery of quality health and social care (Huby et al., 2007, p.58). For instance,
in case I will be faced with an emergency delivery with complications as a midwife in future,
I will quickly consult the woman's relations, other doctors and nurses before making a
major decision to maybe recommend a Caesarian Section on the woman. Inter-professional
Collaboration In Practice EssayIn addition, I would advocate for joint multi-disciplinary
training so as to ensure increased harmony among the IP group members at the work place.
Moreover, I would also ensure that there is a clearly distinct role defined for each IP team
member so that each member contributes to the situation at hand. The role of effective
communication would be key to the success of my career as a midwife (Lloyd, 2007, p.489).
This is because; the service user and the nurses as well as the doctors would require
knowing the progress of the patient as she is being treated. After I deliver a child, the
mother will move to the maternity ward. From there, the doctors and nurses will require
her historical medical records to aid in the provision of quality health care to her. It is for
this reason that effective communication will be an integral part of my practice.ORDER A
PLAGIARISM- FREE PAPER NOWIn order to be an effective midwife, I will have to identify
those situations that are outside the norms and escalate such situations and conditions to
the relevant medical practitioners (Hoffman et al., 2008, p.656). These are the qualities that
I have learnt that will make me a successful community midwife. Therefore,
interprofessional collaboration in such a situation will not only benefit the baby, but also
the mother since safety will be assured to both. Many midwives have been accused of lack of
multi-disciplinary coalition or collaboration hence leading to an increase in infant mortality
(Clark, Cott & Drinka, 2007, p.601). Midwives should thus be trained together with the other
medical health practitioners so as to increase the collaboration between the two or more
subsets. Inter-professional Collaboration In Practice EssayIn case, I am faced with a
situation where nobody knows who is to take the lead role in the delivery of a child, I would
rise up to the occasion and ensure leadership through effective communication and
interprofessional teamwork. I would also put into practice the need to escalate complex
issues through effective communication. I have hence learnt that service users should be
treated as individuals and respect their dignity (Nursing and Midwifery Council, 2008).On
the other hand, I would also learn to resolve ethical issues within my IP team. Certain
ethical issues are bound to affect the IP collaboration within my working teams. I would
therefore respect other IP team member's ethical standing and approach any indifference
with a voice of reason in a bid to drive sense into the team member's understanding
(Mackenzie et al., 2007, p.354). Indeed, most of the team members agreed to the fact that
discrimination was indeed a shared concern.While at the delivery suite, I watched as the
midwife called for the obstetrician on duty to assist as soon as she spotted anomalies in the
delivery of the child. This helped to salvage a situation which would be tragic to both the
mother and child. The impatience exhibited by the obstetrician, when I sort to find out what
the matter was, was met with impatience. This incident taught me to always keep my calm
when faced with a tough situation. Appearing to be impatient and worried would only
5. aggravate the situation to become worse. I also learnt that in such situations, teamwork
should be the last resort and every member should work as a team member without any
member taking a lead role. In this case, the obstetrician would have worked closely with the
midwife to identify the problem and seek for medical solutions thus deliver quality health
care solutions to the delivering mother. Such an obstetrician did not have sufficient
professional training to acknowledge the role of the midwife in the delivery room
(Fitzgerald, 2008, p.24). Furthermore, such kind of professional disguise will only destroy
the gains made by the midwife towards creating a formidable team. Inter-professional
Collaboration In Practice EssayI have also learnt the effectiveness of working in partnership
with the patients through listening and responding to their concerns (General Medical
Council, 2006). I have also learnt that it would be important to consult with the patients
regarding their treatment and care before commencing such. While reflecting this
experience, I shall work closely with my team members as a midwife and constantly
communicate with the relevant authorities and IP team members for quality health and
social care delivery.I truly acknowledge that I would need a succinct understanding of
teamwork and modern approaches towards health and social solutions. As a future midwife,
I will always ensure that I initiate effective communication with the rest of my IP team
members so as to work together for the common good of the patients or service users. The
experience that I learnt was indeed useful as it would enable me to effectively become a
successful midwife. The person-centred approach was particularly imperative in ensuring
that I am able to understand the genesis of multi-disciplinary teamwork (Lewis et al., 2008,
p.93).I indeed acknowledge that issues relating to patient care should be approached with
interprofessional teamwork so that each medical practitioner offers advice in his or her
area of professional knowledge while ensuring that they work as a team. Inter-professional
Collaboration In Practice EssayI have been able to identify my part as a future midwife
which emanate from my experience in the multi-disciplinary conference. This conference
has also enabled me to have a clear picture of what medical professionals go through and
what can be done to avert such challenges. I now feel adequately capable of tacking these
challenges that my career as a midwife will provide. I have also learnt to take into account
the views of other people when making important decisions. Indeed issues of race, gender,
class and sexuality among others should not affect multi-disciplinary teamwork. Cultural
and social differences should not be construed as effective barriers to IP teamwork. Inter-
professional Collaboration In Practice Essay
