Description:
The Collaborative Practice Centre (CPC), within the Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences (FMDHS) at the University of Melbourne in Australia, was charged to design, implement, and evaluate an interprofessional collaborative practice curriculum across 14 health and social care programs. This presentation shares insights from the design and early implementation of the curriculum. It will detail (1) the collaborative, evidence-based development of the curriculum framework and (2) the curriculum mapping-informed interprofessional curriculum and implementation plan.
The Ways of Knowing, Learning, and Leading Together for Person-Centered and Community-Centric Health and Social Care Curriculum (“Ways Curriculum”) Framework aligns with the Quadruple Aim of healthcare and focuses on affective learning across four attributes: Relational Reflexivity, Interprofessional Communication, Collaborative Leadership, and Systems Improvement, with 12 associated learning outcomes. The framework was developed integrating national and international recommendations and aligning with the FMDHS’s core values of collaboration, teamwork, compassion, respect, integrity and accountability.
The development strategy for the Ways Curriculum was supported by a comprehensive six-month curriculum mapping project that informed design and implementation phases. This involved content analysis of 200+ subject handbooks and 100+ stakeholder interviews with subject co-ordinators, identifying opportunities to enhance ways students learn about, from, and with one another. There was a clear need to further support the development of skills in conflict negotiation, interprofessional communication, teamwork, and collaborative leadership. Staff highlighted the importance of ‘flexible curriculum offerings and implementation plans’ and the need to ‘see their disciplines’ in the curriculum materials. These findings directly inform the development of a building block structure for the curriculum including shared curriculum (self-directed ‘priming’ online modules), interprofessional workshops and workplace learning.
Summit theme:
This lightening talk provides insight to into the pedagogical and practical challenges and enablers in developing an interprofessional education program and curriculum model aimed at preparing students for teamwork and collaboration. We present with academic candour to support others designing, implementing and evaluating interprofessional education in diverse contexts.
Providing knowledge to learners contributing to better value and better education in practice and community settings:
By sharing our experiences throughout the processes of curriculum framework development, curriculum mapping-informed curriculum development and early implementation we seek to support other educators designing and implementing interprofessional education programs.
Priority Criteria:
The Ways Curriculum framework and implementation plan informed by educator and student feedback is designed to produce collaborative practice-ready graduates equipped to contribute meaningfully to the Quadruple Aim outcomes.
