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Introduction to the Health Care Team Challenge

On January 29^th, the Faculty of Health Professions partnered with the IWK Health Centre to host the first Dalhousie Health Care Team Challenge (HCTC). This competition provided the opportunity for students from different health professions to team up and create a best practice plan for a fictional patient.

“This is our first competition,” explains Anne Godden-Webster, inter-professional experience coordinator in Dal’s Faculty of Health Professions and a member of the HCTC planning committee. “We didn’t know how many students to expect but we are delighted at the interest and enthusiasm.”

Although deemed a competition, the HCTC was primarily an opportunity for students from a variety of health backgrounds to practice working interprofessionally and have a bit of fun in the process.

Since its introduction at the University of British Columbia, the HCTC has gained recognition internationally. Schools from Canada, Japan, Australia and the U.S have adopted the event as part of interprofessional education.

The organizing committee for this year’s event was interprofessional as well, with members from both Dalhousie and the IWK Health Centre.           

The Competition

36 students participated in the event, comprising 6 teams of 6 students each. Teams could either enter together or individuals could enter and be placed on a team. Each team was comprised of members from a variety of health professions, providing valuable experience for working collaboratively in an inter-professional environment.

Teams were given their first challenge about 10 days before the event: background on a fictional patient, Shelly Moran, was provided along with three questions to get the team started.

The initial challenge asked participants to analyze and rank Shelly’s potential health issues and explain their rationale, list their professions and identify management strategies they would suggest for her. This portion was prepared in advance and submitted at the beginning of the event.

On January 29^th, students were asked to complete additional case planning during which “phantom” judges assessed how members of each team worked together and communicated with each other. Teams were also given an unrelated onsite challenge aimed at assessing how they collaborated in unexpected situations. For this activity, participants were asked to build a structure out of noodles and marshmallows.

The fourth and final component of the challenge was a public presentation. Each member of the group contributed to a presentation addressing four case-related questions that had been provided earlier as well as an additional question focused on the nature of their interprofessional collaboration.

Judging Strategies

The competition was judged on the teams’ abilities to work together cohesively and their demonstration of their best practice plan. Judges included Faculty of Health Professions’ Dean William Webster, Margaret Champion, Director of Children’s Health and Interprofessional Practice at the IWK, and Doreen Campbell, Professional Development Coordinator at the IWK.

A common theme heard throughout the evening was ‘we’re all winners here.’

Comments from the judges included how impressed they were that members of the teams had just met, since they worked together so well. In fact, one judge commented that the teams “worked better then some of the committees we’ve been a part [of]”. Mostly, the judges were pleased that the patient, Shelly, was treated as a whole person.

Lessons Learned and Valuable Experiences

With students from 15 health professions participating, the team challenge brought individuals with a diversity of skills and backgrounds together to create a best practice plan for a patient with complex needs. The participating students came from two universities (an Applied Nutrition student from Mount Saint Vincent University took part), three Faculties (Dal Health Professions, Medicine and Dentistry) and 15 programs spanning the health sector from Pharmacy to Nuclear Medicine Technology to Physiotherapy.

Akila Whiley, a medical student who participated in the HCTC, initially heard about the event in a Health Mentors meeting. She hesitated at first because she didn’t have a team to enter with, but decided last minute to enter as an individual.

“I suppose the grand prize of a trip to Ontario enticed me, but I was also drawn in by the idea that a group of people with all different backgrounds would be working on the same problem,” says Whiley.  

“I really enjoy working with other students in medicine, but there are definitely limitations when everyone is expected to approach the same problem from a physician's perspective. In interprofessional scenarios, you are constantly enlightened by other people's approaches and concerns,” Whiley adds. 

Nursing student Eric Newson concurs, "Although each of us had very different educations and were taught to address case studies in very different ways, this challenge allowed us to collaborate and create a versatile care plan for our patient.”

The ability to engage in this type of interprofessional collaboration will be important as these students graduate and start work as health and medical professionals. One of the goals of the HCTC was for students to learn how to work as part of a multi-disciplinary team.

“I learned that my contribution to any case is only a small part of the puzzle; it is so easy to get caught up in your own profession and your responsibility to the patient while in that role,” Whiley explains. “I think I speak for most people when I say that the event gave me a great deal of insight into other professions and their perspectives.”

Dal’s first HCTC was a great success with student participants, judges and audience members agreeing that it presented students with an interesting and engaging opportunity to explore patient-centred care as part of a team.

Respiratory Therapy student Meghan Beals summed up the experience: “Having the opportunity to work closely with other future health care colleagues in an interprofessional setting will be a huge advantage in the future. It was also a very fun time!”   

Although each team did an amazing job demonstrating interprofessionalism and teamwork, only one team will represent Dalhousie at the National Health Care Team challenge in March at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario. The team will be comprised of Eric Newson, Rachel Graham, Meghan Beals, Connie Yu, Madeleine Bohrer and Sepideh Behroozan. Congratulations and good luck in March!

(All photos by Nick Pearce)