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World First in Interprofessional Collaboration
Australia played host to a world first in interprofessional collaboration in April as delegates from around the world competed in the first ever International Health Care Team Challenge (Inter HCTC). Hosted as part of the biannual All Together Better Health V (ATBH5) conference in Manly, Sydney, the Inter HCTC saw two multi nationality, interprofessional teams compete in front of an audience in a live demonstration of the cutting edge in interprofessional education (IPE). The challenge was held on the last day of the conference which ran from April 6-9 at the Novotel Sydney Manly Pacific.
The international event was a collaboration between The University of Queensland’s HealthFusion Team Challenge (HFTC), the University of British Columbia’s Health Care Team Challenge (HCTC), the Health Sciences Students’ Association of Canada (HSSA/AÉSS) and the Australian National Rural Health Students’ Network (NRHSN).
The inaugural Inter HCTC was the first time the popular Challenge event had ever been held at an international level and the first event of its kind to bring both mixed profession and multi nationality teams together. Each team was made up of a mix of students and professionals from a range of health backgrounds including nursing, dentistry, physiotherapy, health policy and occupational therapy. Participants came from Australia, Brazil, Canada, Japan, New Zealand and the USA.
The Judging Panel consisted of a consumer representative and several international delegates attending the conference.
In keeping with the Health Care Team Challenge model, both teams were presented with the same complex clinical case study and asked to present a complete management plan for a fictional patient under timed conditions. Once each team had presented, they were each given an extension question and asked to devise an adapted plan. Both teams utilized the full range of health practitioners in each team and even tapped into the audience’s expertise for additional resources, something that has only been trialed at the international event.
Audience members and judges were encouraged to observe the teams up close as they worked on their presentations. In addition to their management package, judges were asked to evaluate the teams on a number of other aspects including teamwork dynamics, collaboration and participation.
The competition was held as a demonstration event to showcase the strength and flexibility of the HCTC model in front of some of the world’s leading IPE experts.
Inter HCTC and HFTC Project Director; Dr Monica Moran praised everyone on their efforts, saying both teams provided a wonderful demonstration of the learning opportunities that can be developed from this kind of authentic learning experience.
“The judging panel and audience were transfixed when watching the teams at work. Many people took away ideas of how they can modify the model to suit their own particular practice or educational environment,” she said.
As a student-centred event, the Inter HCTC also attracted a lot of interest from those still forging their IPE careers. Fellow international student collaborator and event Master of Ceremonies, Luciano Di Loreto, was confident the event would continue to grow and expand in the coming years. “Going forward, I believe that more students and faculty will look to incorporate the Challenge within their interprofessional curricula as a unique vehicle to socialize, have fun, and learn simultaneously”, he said.
The HCTC model was originally pioneered by educators at the University of British Columbia over 20 years ago. Dr. Christie Newton, the current HCTC Planning Committee Chair at UBC comments on its sustainability; “its extracurricular format provides a safe opportunity for students to interact without the pressure of academia. Also, the event timing over lunch hour negates the need to align with the 12 to 15 different health professional curricula.” The event was first run at The University of Queensland in Brisbane, Australia in 2007 where it is known as the HealthFusion Team Challenge (HFTC).
For more information on the ATBH5 conference visit their website at www.atbh5.com.au. Or, you may also contact Dr. Christie Newton at christie.newton@familymed.ubc.ca .
Posted with permission of Dr. Christie Newton
