Journal of Academic Development and Education JADE Issue 9 | Page 14

HIGHLIGHT #2 | 15 JADE | 14 HIGHLIGHT #2 Title Inter-professional learning at Keele: physiotherapy students' perceptions. Authors Valerie Ball, Aniksha Dhamelia, & Elliot Rollason DOI http://dx.doi.org/10.21252/ KEELE-0000022 Contact [email protected] Keele University Abstract Context: The Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences Year 3 inter-professional education (IPE) programme promotes effective multi-disciplinary team (MDT) working using group work and reflective writing. Student satisfaction monitored in module evaluations had remained static for five years. This small study aimed to look in more depth at the reasons for this. Method: Two on line focus groups of third year physiotherapy students using a Keele Learning Environment discussion board and a closed Facebook group as means of communication. Data was coded for themes and subthemes Results: All participants reported positive experiences of MDT working in clinical practice, and they preferred to learn on clinical placement rather than in classroom based activities. A minority of participants considered writing reflections for IPE was a positive learning process. Conclusions: The IPE programme does not suit all types of learners and this would account for the static student satisfaction. Keywords Inter-professional education, reflection, satisfaction. Context and Objectives Inter-professional education is defined as ‘learning between one or more health professions during their training with the aim of developing skills for collaborative practice in providing holistic patient- centred health care’ (CAIPE, 2015). Inter-professional education (IPE) has been embedded at Keele in the undergraduate curricula of the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences since 2007. It encourages collaboration in health care by educating students from different professions together. (Cusack and O'Donoghue, 2012). Students in the first 2 years of health curricula at Keele are taught in small multi- professional groups, this is appropriate as students are still identifying their own and others roles. In contrast Year 3 of IPE is student lead and requires a portfolio of evidence (reflections) to be completed during clinical placements to demonstrate achievement of the IPE3 learning outcomes. This model allows flexibility in the timing and location of achieving each of the outcomes, depending on the student’s programme and their individual experience. Two thirds of IPE 3 module evaluations completed by medicine, midwifery, nursing and physiotherapy students in 2014/15 stated that the IPE programme had prepared them for multi-disciplinary team (MDT) working. This satisfaction rate had remained static for five years. This small study aimed to look in more depth at the reasons for the IPE 3 satisfaction. Methods Design A set of open questions based on the feedback from the 2014–15 IPE 3 evaluation was constructed. Two separate on-line focus groups were set up, one using a Keele Learning Environment (KLE) discussion board and the second a closed Facebook (FB) group as means of communication. Both groups were open for one week during January/February 2016 with participants responding to other’s comments and probing from the researchers. Participants Following ethical approval from the School of Health and Rehabilitation SPEC, 3rd year physiotherapy students were invited to participate by year group email. Students who had not experienced a year 3 clinical placement were excluded. Participants consented using a Google form. Analysis Analytical coding was applied to the data from both groups identifying themes and sub themes which were used to generate conclusions. Results Sixteen students participated; INTER-PROFESSIONAL LEARNING AT KEELE: PHYSIOTHERAPY STUDENTS' PERCEPTIONS eight in each group. The group characteristics can be seen in Table 1.: KLE group Gender Home EU/ International Facebook group Male 4, Female 4 Male 4, Female 4 Home 2/International 6 Home 8/International 0 Table 1: Group characteristics Higher order theme: Learning Sub theme: The best place to learn MDT working The participants considered that MDT working was best learnt in the clinical arena. There were several reasons given: Three of the participants described themselves as activist learners and therefore ‘doing’ was their preferred method of learning, while others required context and saw effective MDT working as a skill needing practice. • P16: ”MDT working skills are practical skills” KLE • P4: “working within an MDT while on placement is 100% more beneficial” FB Participants commented on the classroom IPE opportunities: • P11: “didn’t give a chance to explore how each of us think” KLE • P7: “there was very little input from some members of certain professions” FB Sub theme: Reflection Writing reflections for IPE 3 was seen as an academic task to be completed by a small majority of participants rather than a learning opportunity, summed up by: • P2: “I don’t feel I get much out of writing reflections” FB However a significant minority of participants did think the process of writing reflections had a positive benefit that they could take forward into their professional career: • P13 “reflection can help me prepare and deal with situations better if faced again” KLE Higher order theme: Effective MDT working The participants commented on their experience of teams working well together: