Interprofessional Learning Experience

This past week marked the first of 5-weeks that I will be involved in an Interprofessional Learning (IPL) Experience. 

What is IPL?
"...it provides opportunities for learners from two or more disciplines to learn with, from, and about each other to improve collaboration and the quality of care" (CAIPE definition 1997 revised).

The different students that I will be working with over the next 5-weeks are from the following disciplines: nursing (2 students), recreation therapy, pharmacy, and dietetics (me!). We're a group of only 5, but I can see from our first meeting that we'll get along very well and each are driven to get as much out of the experience as possible. We meet twice each week: once on Wednesdays over lunch with just the 5 of us and two instructors (one from nursing and one from dietetics), and then we all attend stroke rounds Thursday afternoons. On February 10th, we are to present to a group of people from various disciplines, including our individual preceptors, regarding our experiences in IPL. I have an idea for the presentation, and I'm eager to bounce it off the other IPL members next Wednesday to get their input and opinions on it.

In our first meeting, January 11th, we had an activity where our disciplines were written on large white paper and stuck on the walls. We were then to go to every discipline but our own and write down the roles and responsibilities of each. Well, I had thought I had a good understanding of what nursing, pharmacy, and rec therapy professionals do, but I clearly only knew the basics. This activity was the first, of what I believe, will be many educational opportunities that I will experience over the next 5-weeks. I have no doubt that this group will provide me with a better understanding, respect, and appreciation for allied health care.

My experiences working with multiple-disciplines has not before been with a group of students, but rather with me being the only student amongst a group of professionals. In the different facilities and hospitals that I've either worked in or volunteered with, this has been the case, so I hadn't before had the chance to ask questions regarding roles and responsibilities of other disciplines (in a comforting and supportive environment). I am excited to see what unfolds over the next 5-weeks and to assess my own personal mental and creative growth that I know will occur during the IPL experience.