THUNDER BAY, ON – Confederation College held its annual Inter-professional Education (IPE) Day today, which allowed over 360 students from its School of Health and Community Services to learn more about allied health professions.
The purpose of IPE Day is to expose students to the many professions they could encounter in the workplace and to encourage collaboration to ensure an effective and successful patient/client experience.
“Without collaboration, patient care often suffers,” said Shawn Untinen, Program Coordinator of the Social Service Worker program at Confederation College. “Our annual IPE Day is important because it teaches students to embrace the idea of working together to more effectively provide service to their patients and clients. We teach them about related professions and show them the value of a collaborative approach.”
Students rotated through 20-minute sessions which each showcased a different program and touched on one of the seven core competencies of inter-professional collaboration. For example, a nursing student learned more about dental hygienists and a social service worker learned more about early childhood educators. Sessions were facilitated by a combination of students and faculty from each program. Special guests were also welcomed including representatives from the Lakehead Inter-Professional Student Society and the IPE Program Lead from the Northern Ontario School of Medicine, Justine Bertrand.
The seven core competencies of inter-professional collaboration include: respect, communication, problem-solving, decision-making, shared knowledge and skills, person-centred practice, and working collaboratively through teamwork.
“It’s very beneficial for students to learn about the services provided by our fellow classmates,” said Braidey Manduca, a second year student in the Social Service Worker program. “The day highlights the similarities and the differences between professions, helping us to understand how each profession interacts with the others so we can better collaborate in the workplace.”
IPE Day was launched in 2008 and continues to be part of the School of Health and Community Services curriculum. Students receive a certificate of participation upon completion, which they can include in their résumés. Most importantly, students gain a more diversified learning experience and explore collaborative best practices and techniques for providing quality client- and patient-centred care.
