Since beginning this program, I have been exposed to many different interprofessional experiences, such as health mentors, falls prevention, HIV/AIDS, and clinical placements. All of these opportunities really educated me on the roles of other health care professionals. Despite being exposed to many different opportunities for interprofessional collaboration, I think that my most recent placement, and participation with the InteRACT program have really showed me the true value of interprofessionalism.

My last placement was on the acute stroke unit at the Halifax Infirmary. I absolutely loved this placement. The amount of progress and success achieved by the patients I worked with was so rewarding. Also, the care provided to each individual patient was very much patient-centered, and I believe that this was due to the team of health care professionals. The team included social work, nursing, medicine, occupational therapy, physiotherapy, recreation therapy, home care, and the NSRC coordinator. The majority of the team met biweekly to discuss the progress of the patient, as well as plans and goals for discharge. As my placement progressed, I started to feel like a part of the team. I started contributing more during the meetings, as well as approaching appropriate health care professionals regarding concerns I had about the patient, or requesting their expertise. I soon realized that having such a large interprofessional team allowed for the best quality of care for each patient.

Following this placement, I was given the opportunity to work with the InteRACT program. Throughout this program I worked very closely with an SLP student. This allowed me to provide the most effective care for my patient as the student I was working with provided me with instruction on how to best communicate with my patient. This also lead to my patient being able to get the most out of each treatment session, as we were both able to improve on our communication skills throughout the course of the program.

Throughout these experiences I’ve learned the importance of interprofessional collaboration in order to provide the most effective care for our patients. Not only did I learn about the roles of other health care professionals, but each experience lead to an improvement in my own knowledge.

By: Chelsea Poole (Class of 2014)