Students and faculty learn from each other at IPE Dayshift event
Collaboration is key
IPE Dayshift event fosters teamwork in students and faculty
In health care, collaboration is often the most effective to learn “about, from and with each other.”
That’s the purpose behind the recent Interprofessional Education (IPE) Dayshift event.
This day long initiative annually provides 50 Faculty of Health Sciences students from the Colleges of Nursing, Medicine, Pharmacy, Dentistry and Rehabilitation Sciences an opportunity to play the role of patient and caregiver in a hospital setting.
Using the College of Nursing Skills Lab as a simulated hospital ward, students worked with mentors from across the colleges; practiced skills required for inter-disciplinary teamwork; experienced typical day shift issues and responsibilities; and practiced clinical skills in a safe environment.
Deborah Chan, a third year student in the College of Nursing, says the highlight of Dayshift was being able to gain a better appreciation of the scope of practice within each profession.
“As a student, the IPE Dayshift is the perfect opportunity to learn what the other professions bring to patient care and to have an opportunity to practice interdisciplinary communication in a completely safe learning environment,” she says. “A team approach in healthcare continues to be vital in ensuring the health, in all of its dimensions, of our patients. The synergy of multiple professions collaborating is essential to patient care as we all have something valuable to contribute. Events like the IPE Dayshift allow future healthcare professionals to practice working together and take the skills gained out into the working world.”
Laura Macdonald, Associate Professor in the College of Dentistry, also saw first-hand how the IPE Dayshift benefits students.
“I was an observer to the IPE Dayshift and I witnessed a fabulously organized simulation on interprofessional collaboration within a hospital setting,” she says. “The buzz and excitement was almost palpable for students, organizers, and team leaders. A dental hygiene student, Stephanie Gordon, was a volunteer patient. She emailed me to let us know the experience was very valuable to her differentiation between consultation and collaboration. She saw the role a dental hygienist would play within the team.”
For Fiona Jensen, senior instructor in the College of Nursing and IPE coordinator, the Dayshift event is valuable not only to students, but helps faculty and staff learn as well.
“Dayshift is very beneficial for the faculty,” she says. “All the colleges [in the Faculty of Health Sciences] had representatives or mentors which builds IP faculty connections between the colleges. Faculty members also collaborate throughout the event as they assist the student teams, so this is a valuable learning opportunity for us as well.”