Interprofessional Practice

This unit of study both integrates the capabilities that students have developed earlier in their courses and prepares students for practice in an interprofessional setting. It is based on the principle that “Interprofessional education occurs when two or more professions learn with, from and about each other to improve collaboration and the quality of care” (CAIPE, 2002).
Interprofessional Practice focuses on developing five interprofessional capabilities: interprofessional teamwork, interprofessional communication, navigating interprofessional conflict, professional roles and identities, and critical reflection on interprofessional practice.
The unit does this in three phases: the first (Expose) raises key issues in interprofessional practice using a scenario-based learning approach, the second (Immerse) uses simulation to explore interprofessional practice in the classroom and the third (Experience) involves students in working for ten days as interprofessional practitioners in the Victoria University Interprofessional Clinic (VUIC) on the Werribee Campus. The focus throughout is on students becoming effective interprofessional practitioners and how they can put this knowledge into practice in a clinical setting.