Interprofessional Practice

From: Mentis, M., Kearney, A., & Bevan-Brown, J. (2012). Interprofessional learning and its contribution to inclusive education. Teaching in inclusive school communities, 295-311.

Interprofessional Practice (IPP) involves professionals learning with, from and about each other in order to generate a shared understanding that allows for collaboration. Fits in with NZ Disability Strategy NZ Disability where it  discusses making sure there is the right evidence at the right time to inform decisions.  In fact, it says this is critical.  Discussing, planning, problem-solving, debating, sharing and inquiring are the same skills that are needed when practicing together.

Definitions:
IPL - Interprofessional Learning - overarching term' includes IPE (Interprofessional Education) and IPP (Interprofessional Practice).
IPE - Professionals from two or more areas work together.  Learn with (same learning environment, curriculum and content), from (interacting with each other to co-construct learning and knowledge) and about (understanding more about each other's roles) each other.
IPP - Two or more professionals work together towards a common goal as a mutually respectful team


Enablers/Positives:

• Shared cultural understanding,
• Promotes active learning through interaction and involves engagement and communication,
• Mutual respect,
• Common goal,
• Minimises conflict, confusion and work duplication,
• Promotes knowledge, work and roles of all professionals involved and the skills that promote collaboration and communication,
• Involves cooperation, coordination and collaboration to problem solve and share decision making,
• It is a team responsibility,
• Reduces bias,
• Reduces exclusion by increasing the diversity of knowledge, skills and expertise brought to the team in order to meet even the most complex needs successfully,
• Encourages accountability.

Barriers:

• Poor communication resulting from a lack of understanding of differences and similarities in professions,
• Can be a challenge for professionals who are isolated in clinics or classrooms,
• Collaboration needs to be taught, requires a deliberate shift to collaborative culture from individualistic culture,
• Lack of shared values, including honesty, integrity, co-operation and respect,
• Lack of awareness of your knowledge and how and what you can share with the team and also what others can bring to the team,
• Having open, clear and supportive communication could be a challenge,
• Can be a lack of the appropriate professionals (such as people who can make a cultural contribution),
• Ideal to have someone in the team from the same culture as the student and their family,
• Could be potential for conflict and dysfunction when communication styles and cultural practices differ, especially with regard to decision-making, turn taking and conflict resolution,
• Teachers used to working on their own in their own classroom and with their own students.

Personal experience of IPP.

One example of where this didn't work for me was with a colleague that I was required to team teach with and it was very challenging.  There was a definite lack of communication and shared cultural understanding.  We were very different in our teaching styles and beliefs.  I found it incredibly challenging to be myself and put my own ideas forward as I felt there was no respect for me as a professional.  What would I do differently next time?  Assert myself a lot earlier and stand up for myself and my beliefs.  The difficulty was that we were in a very small space and they had been there for a long time and were already established.  the rest of the staff had no understanding of what went on behind closed doors as they presented a very supportive and professional front in public.  They conveyed their lack of respect for me to a colleague (and personal friend)  in the way they spoke about me.

A positive example is in the environment I am in now.  Everyone is collaborative and we often 'pick each other's brains'.  I found it a bit confronting at first when established team members asked me (the newby) my opinion and advice on things.  I had to work on realising they had trust for me and my opinions and valued my input as a professional.