These new people are students that are part of a province wide program called the Interprofessional Rural Program of BC – or IRPbc for short. Port McNeill is again participating in the program this year drawing together students from six health disciplines – nursing, medicine, physiotherapy, social work, midwifery, and pharmacy. This interprofessional team serves as the framework for the program.

The concept of the IRPbc program is simple: healthcare professionals work together in their jobs, so why not teach them how to work together when they are students? All too often students are taught in isolation, concentrating on their specific area of study without seeing how their knowledge integrates into the healthcare system. This program hopes to change all of that. By living together, students share knowledge and experiences on a day to day basis to learn and grow into competent healthcare workers. They will better understand each other’s professions as well as how their own profession fits into the healthcare system as a whole.

The IRPbc program also offers students a window into the life of a rural healthcare worker. Often students are placed in urban centres for their practical experience rotations. This program gives students a chance to experience first-hand the benefits and challenges of working in a rural setting.  One participant states, “This is the kind of learning that you never get in school.” He goes on to say, “And it’s the best kind of learning.” Finally, there is an ever increasing demand for healthcare professionals across the province and rural settings are hardest hit. By familiarizing students with what a rural setting has to offer both professionally and personally, it is hoped that these future healthcare workers will some day come back to practice.

As part of an interprofessional community project, these students will be writing articles for the North Island Gazette bringing the most up-to-date information to you on a variety of health topics. Health Matters is written by students in the health profession who have spent time working on the North Island as part of their training with IRPbc.

This article is reprinted from the North Island Gazette - http://www.bclocalnews.com/lifestyles/63639212.html

An Editorial by Lesley Bainbridge, UBC College of Health Disciplines

My interest in interprofessional collaborative practice stems back a long way to my days as a clinician. When working with the frail elderly, we had an amazing team comprising medicine, nursing, physical therapy, occupational therapy, social work, pharmacy, psychology, psychiatry, nutrition, music therapy, pastoral care, recreation and I’m sure there were more. We met formally and informally. We loved the residents. We had fun. We  were all competent in our own professions and comfortable in our professional skins.  And, we were polite to each other. 

My mother always told me “good manners will take you anywhere” and in my life so far, she was right. So why do we think it’s okay to shout at colleagues?  To devalue their contributions?  To fight over turf?  To ignore family and “patient” involvement in the team?  That’s not good manners.

Today we are resurrecting an old concept. Interprofessional education for collaborative patient-centred care is all the rage. Governments, educators, CEOs, practitioners alike are beginning to know the words and to attribute meaning to them. Research is emerging that suggests strongly that better collaboration and communication across professions improves patient safety, at times even saving lives. If we feel valued and respected by our colleagues, we’re happier in our work and more likely to stay in our workplace and our professions. Hence a positive link to health human  resource issues of recruitment and retention.

So while we need to develop interprofessional curricula, develop interprofessional practice sites, and support and reinforce collaborative patient-centred practice, maybe at the root of it all is plain good manners.

** Reprinted with Permission **

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What do you think?  Are we ready to add this new profession?   Is it realistic that other professions are worrying about protecting their scope of practice?  Is there room for everyone to collaborate?

One good place to start any interprofessional search would be two literature reviews that we received from Scott Reeves. One is an environmental scan and literature review for all types of collaborative practice settings, and the other reviews solely primary care settings.

One new article that we received as part of the Yukon Territory community that stands out as patient-centred is a case study on diabetes patients. In addition to that article, the entire Patients First project (completed as part of the Interprofessional Network of BC) was focused on providing patient-focussed care and evaluation of patient services. Their final report could prove useful in this area of research.

A valuable patient testimonial is reported on a poster from the Université Laval project.  The project’s final report is in French and is available here.

There may well be more available, and if you come across any items in the library while doing your own searches, please leave them in the comments!

You can browse the collection here!

See our updates at www.twitter.com/CIHC_ca

Peter Au (l) a student between his second and third year of medical school at UBC, confers with Clearwater medical doctor John Soles last week in the local clinic. Au is in the community as part of the annual Rural Family Practice Clerkship.  Photo by Keith McNeill

Clearwater might have need of more doctors but it isn’t becausethe community has not been doing its part to help train physicians in rural medicine.

This month Dr. Helmcken Memorial Hospital and the local Medical Clinic are once again hosting a UBC medical student.

“It’s been going on since I’ve been here, except we missed a year in 2003 during the fires,” said local medical doctor John Soles.

This year’s student is Peter Au. Born in China, he lived nearly all his life in Edmonton before going to UBC to study. He just finished his second year of medical school.

“It’s different from the big city,” said Au after his first week in Clearwater. “I get to do different procedures here. I’ve already done some sutures and biopsies.”He’s also been to some local events, visiting the Farmers’ Market and having Saturday breakfast at the Elks, gone horseback riding and seen Helmcken Falls.

Au said he’s enjoyed his time so far but doesn’t plan on going into rural practice. Right now he intends to be a surgeon.

The rural clerkship used to be optional but for about the past 10 years has been mandatory for all medical students, said Soles.

“Sometimes we get people who are not interested but I think it’s important for specialists to have an appreciation of the people they are dealing with and what general medicine is all about,” said the local physician.

“Peter’s seeing the patient before I do, doing a history, trying to find what’s wrong, then discussing it with me,” said Soles. “That’s the focus of medical care – figuring out what’s wrong and what to do about it.”

The UBC medical student is also part of IPRBC – the inter-professional rural program of B.C. He is working in the hospital with two nursing students visiting at the same time, plus there is a psychiatric nursing student helping out at Yellowhead Community Services.

The program is relatively new and Clearwater is one of the first communities to host a variety of healthcare students.

The four will help put together a presentation on issues around death and dying as part of the End of Life seminar to be held at the Community Resource Center on Tuesday (tomorrow), 6 – 8:30 p.m.