Students entering any one of the twelve health professional programs at UBC in 2018 will embark on a journey that now includes a wide range of opportunities to learn how to work collaboratively in a team-based model of health care.

As they travel through their program, they will come together with students from other disciplines for learning experiences that foster a collaborative approach to complex areas of health care.

Students from Audiology and Speech Language Pathology, Dental Hygiene, Dentistry, Dietetics, Genetic Counselling, Medicine, Midwifery, Nursing, Occupational Therapy, Pharmacy, Physical Therapy, and Social Work will:

• participate in workshops that develop a common commitment to Professionalism;
• engage in case-based activities related to complex ethical situations around contemporary issues such as medical assistance in dying;
• come together for innovative sessions led by community members to reflect on ways to provide culturally safe care to our Aboriginal communities;
• learn about how health informatics supports safe, effective, person-centred care.

Throughout this journey, students also will spend a large percentage of time learning in the practice environment from teams that work collaboratively to address the complex needs of patients, clients, and families. They will see, firsthand, how a team-based approach to care improves health outcomes and be provided with opportunities to reflect on effective team functioning.

With support from the Teaching and Learning Enhancement Funds (TLEF) program, UBC Health and stakeholders have developed and piloted sustainable, flexible yet intentional approaches that enable students’ development of collaborative practice competencies during placements. Phase II of this TLEF project aims to further engage UBC Health programs in implementation across distributed clinical placement sites.

Not only does UBC Health support interprofessional learning for students, it also strives to address the continuum of learning by developing and delivering team-based continuing professional development to help practicing professionals integrate team-based models of care into their practice.

As the Ministry of Health promotes collaborative team-based care as the vision for the future of health care in BC, UBC Health is shaping our health care leaders of tomorrow and helping professionals adapt their approach and practice to an evolving health care system.