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Celebrating multidisciplinary practice and learning: three years evaluation of an undergraduate interprofessional rural health education pilot
Citation
Spencer, J and Woodroffe, J, Celebrating multidisciplinary practice and learning: three years evaluation of an undergraduate interprofessional rural health education pilot, Proceedings of the 11th National Rural Health Conference, 13-16 March 2011, Perth, Western Australia, pp. 1-11. ISBN 9781921219207 (2011) [Refereed Conference Paper]
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Official URL: http://nrha.org.au/11nrhc/papers/11th%20NRHC%20Spe...
Abstract
Attending to the shortage and sustainability of health care professionals and resources in rural Australia is a
continuing challenge. In response, there is a heightened focus on new models of health care delivery and
collaboration that optimise the quality of patient care, respond to complex health needs and increase
professional job satisfaction. Interprofessional health education within universities has been proposed as one
way of addressing these challenges to ensure the delivery of effective multidisciplinary health care by future
health professionals.
The Rural Interprofessional Program Educational Retreat (RIPPER) uses interprofessional learning and a variety
of educational strategies to prepare final year nursing, medical and pharmacy students for effective
multidisciplinary rural health care delivery. RIPPER is an educational pilot module designed to expose
undergraduate health science students to a number of rural emergency and acute health care situations. Using
interactive high and low fidelity simulation, students work collaboratively in multidisciplinary teams to attend
to the immediate management of the health care issue, develop management algorithms and consider
strategies for prevention and patient aftercare in the rural context. The project was evaluated using a mixed
method design to evaluate student learning outcomes and perceptions of interprofessional practice in the
rural context.
Over three years, the RIPPER pilot provided students (n=90) with the opportunity to learn about working as a
member of an interprofessional team using authentic and relevant situational learning for clinical and
professional knowledge and skill building. Results from the programfs mixed methods evaluation indicated
that RIPPER is an effective model, and that exposure of health care students to interprofessional education can
positively affect their perceptions of collaboration, team work and multidisciplinary patient care. The
evaluation also points to the rural context as an ideal place to showcase elements of effective
interprofessional practice for effective multidisciplinary care.
A collaborative multidisciplinary clinical culture is imperative for the promotion of a more satisfied rural health
workforce and to ensure optimal patient outcomes. Health educators are powerfully positioned to develop
curricula that emphasise the delivery of interprofessional health care. However, there are numerous barriers
that make this a difficult task. This paper will discuss the program evaluation with a focus on enablers and
barriers, and future directions.
Item Details
Item Type: | Refereed Conference Paper |
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Keywords: | multidisciplinary practice, interprofessional learning, rural health |
Research Division: | Education |
Research Group: | Specialist studies in education |
Research Field: | Specialist studies in education not elsewhere classified |
Objective Division: | Health |
Objective Group: | Other health |
Objective Field: | Other health not elsewhere classified |
UTAS Author: | Spencer, J (Ms Judy Spencer) |
UTAS Author: | Woodroffe, J (Dr Jessica Woodroffe) |
ID Code: | 72102 |
Year Published: | 2011 |
Deposited By: | UTAS Centre for Rural Health |
Deposited On: | 2011-08-22 |
Last Modified: | 2017-11-06 |
Downloads: | 1 View Download Statistics |
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