HSWRU CURRENT RESEARCH

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Title: Creating an Interprofessional Learning Environment through Communities of Practice: An Alternative to Traditional Preceptorship

 

Website:  www.interprofessionalalberta.ca

 

Principal Investigators:  

 

Esther Suter PhD, MSW

Research and Evaluation Consultant, Health Systems & Workforce Research Unit, Calgary Health Region

Liz Taylor MEd, PhD(C), FCAOT
Associate Professor & Associate Chair, Occupational Therapy, University of Alberta

Michael Clinton Phd, MSc
Dean, Faculty of Nursing, University of Calgary

Nancy Arthur PhD, C Psych
Associate Professor, Faculty of Education Division of Applied Psychology, University of Calgary; Tri-Faculty Research Chair

 

Funding Source:

 

Health Canada’s Interprofessional Education for Collaborative Patient-Centred Practice initiative

http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/hcs-sss/hhr-rhs/strateg/interprof/index_e.html

 

Presentations/Publications/Updates:

 

         FINAL REPORT (May 2008)

Fact Sheets for Interprofessional Collaboration, Interprofessional Education, Interprofessional Mentoring and Enhancing Interprofessional Collaboration Through Communities of Practice           

Poster: “Fostering Interprofessional Collaboration through Communities of Practice and Lateral Mentoring”

Poster: “An Interprofessional Twist: Enriching Student Clinical Placements”

Poster: “Evaluating an Interprofessional Practice Intervention”

Presentation: “Interprofessional Mentorship of Students”

Presentation: “Interprofessional Enhancements to Student Clinical Placement”

 

Objectives: 

 

1.       Support and enhance interprofessional collaboration by cultivating communities of practice.

2.       Replace traditional student clinical placements with lateral mentoring.

 

Background:

 

Collaborative teams are seen as an important way to make use of health professionals’ skills and knowledge. However, health professionals are not trained to work in interprofessional teams and health care organizations do not always promote interprofessional collaboration.

 

Methods:

 

1.       Qualitative interviews to examine attitudes and knowledge of interprofessional practice.

2.       Action research to implement interprofessional communities of practice at clinical sites.

3.       Mixed methods evaluation.

 

Project Team and Partners:  See http://www.interprofessionalalberta.ca/who for team members.

Time Frame: March 2005-March 2008

 

Contact Information:

 

Jana Lait, Project Manager

jana.lait@albertahealthservices.ca  or (403) 943-1216