Creating a holistic picture of patient-centred care
Interprofessional education is fundamental for improved patient outcomes, reduced healthcare costs, fewer preventable errors, and improved relationships with other disciplines.
“In order to communicate effectively as a team, health care providers must understand each other’s roles,” explained Teresa Van Deven,
It's why the School has partnered with programs from across Western, the University of Waterloo and the University of Windsor to host Interprofessional Education (IPE) Day.
This year, 800 students from the fields of medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, physical therapy, occupational therapy, nursing, social work, and dietetics spent time in London and Windsor learning about collaborative health care teams and appreciating the impact these professionals have on patients.
Here is what the students had to say about their experience:
Joseph Fonseca, Pharmacy, University of Waterloo:
“I think it sets a precedent really early on to reach out to colleagues, know your boundaries and also know your strengths.”
Nura Mazloom, Dentistry Class of 2022:
“It’s such a joy to be able to attend an event like this and learn about professional collaboration. Patients are complex and learning how we can collaborate to address these complexities in action is empowering.”
Nicole Forster, Nursing, Western University:
"It’s important to be involved in a day like today so that when we get into the field and we are working we have a base knowledge we can apply.”
Gali Katznelson, Medicine Class of 2022:
“It’s important to be involved in a day like this because a lot of our learning happens in a lecture and to actually to be here working with people from other disciplines on a case together and seeing how they are thinking and what they would do is incredibly important for medical students.”
London Free Press Health care students primed for 'new normal' at symposium
