Interprofessional Placement Experiences

Patients with complex health conditions often need the support of multiple healthcare professionals. When health professionals from different discipline backgrounds work together with a patient-centred focus, the result is better health outcomes, less clinical errors and improved health economic benefits.

An interprofessional placement provides students from two or more professions to learn about, from and with each other to enable effective collaboration and improved health outcomes.

Interprofessional learning is recognised as a major contributor in helping to prepare students as the future health workforce to understand the skills and knowledge needed to be part of a healthcare team as well as teaching how to communicate and collaborate with colleagues in the workplace.

Interprofessional placements are a great opportunity for students from various healthcare disciplines to:

• Develop an increased understanding of the unique expertise that each discipline brings to the solution of health problems
• Develop the ability to identify shared knowledge, skills and opportunities that exist between disciplines
• Provide an opportunity for students from different disciplines to develop professional communication skills and work together to solve health problems
• Work collaboratively for patient-centred goals
• Support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health initiatives in the community.

Where interprofessional collaboration is embraced in healthcare settings, the community receives direct benefit from the enhancement of high quality health service delivery. This approach provides consistency and high-level co-ordination of patient-centred care.