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Monday, 31 October 2011
Learning Objective 1: The learner will be able to explore the effect of interprofessional education on interprofessional collaboration in an international context.
Learning Objective 2: The learner will be able to reflect upon the influence of interprofessional collaboration and global partnerships on children’s health in Costa Rica.
This presentation will focus on an international collaboration between an interprofessional school team in Costa Rica and an interprofessional team including faculty and students from practical nursing, child and youth worker, and early childhood education programs at a community college in Canada. Students and faculty have established a global partnership with the psychologist, social worker, and teachers from an elementary school in Costa Rica to focus on improving the health of the children in the school. The collaboration began in 2008 when a group of students and faculty from child and youth worker, and early childhood education programs travelled to Costa Rica. During the third and most recent Costa Rica placement, a pilot project was completed to determine whether interprofessional team development education would promote new beliefs and attitudes toward collaborative interprofessional care and ultimately improve interprofessional collaborative practice amongst students participating in the experience in Costa Rica. The educational intervention consisted of interprofessional team development modules which were provided to the students prior to the placement. Quantitative data was collected before the intervention, after the intervention, and post placement. Qualitative data about the effect of the modules on Interprofessional collaboration was collected through a focus group held post placement. Results of the study and lessons learned about international collaboration and global partnerships to improve children’s health will be reported.