University of Calgary in Qatar (UCQ) and Qatar University (QU) collaborated on a recently held inter-professional workshop.
The workshop featured key topics and scenarios aimed at fostering inter-professional education between students in various healthcare disciplines.
One of the scenarios presented by UCQ nursing instructors involved a woman bringing her husband to a hospital’s emergency department. He has Type 1 diabetes and has been taking insulin shots regularly for the past year. This week, he came down with a stomach flu and a couple of days ago stopped taking the insulin. Now, he is confused and upset and needs medical care. A team of 72 nursing and pharmacy students goes to work on assessing him and prescribing treatment.
“In their real working lives, nurses collaborate with other healthcare professionals in the delivery of patient care,” explained Roxanne Zeifflie, UCQ nursing instructor. “During the workshop, our nursing students and the pharmacy students go through all the stages they would go through, from emergency room care to hospital admission to the discharge plan.”
“We believe this is a very effective strategy in teaching students about complex problems,” said Zohra Hasnani-Samnani, UCQ nursing instructor.
Understanding what other healthcare professions have to offer is important to nursing, added nursing instructor Merry Jo Levers. UCQ student Mihi Chandrarante agreed, saying: “I know more now about the different roles of pharmacy and nursing students and how we can work together, and that helps me in being a better nurse.”
Hebatallah Deghady, teaching assistant at QU, appreciated the future benefits of bringing pharmacy students to UCQ for the inter-professional workshop opportunity. “We don’t have a nursing school at QU,” she noted.
“When our pharmacy students go to work, they need to know more about what the other professions do. This is a good chance to learn about each other and gain new knowledge.”
QU pharmacy student Fatima Abdulla added, “The workshop also gives students new information about patient conditions. And, as some students are shy, the collaborative setting gives them confidence and breaks the ice.”
“Throughout the workshop, students seemed to build confidence and see the value of exchanging information and ideas between people from different disciplines,” added Hasnani-Samnani.
Dr Kerry Wilbur, associate professor of Clinical Pharmacy Practice at QU, was encouraged by the exchange between disciplines and in the professionalism the students demonstrated in patient case assessment.
“Teamwork is essential for effective patient care and safe delivery of healthcare. Our students have learned to appreciate others’ skill sets and what each can offer to patient care. The patients and the healthcare system are the ultimate winners in all of this.”
UCQ nursing instructors who collaborated on the workshop were Hasnani-Samnani, Jo Levers, Zeifflie, Diana White, Anne Ballem and Katie de Leon-Demare.
This is the second year the interdisciplinary workshop has taken place.
