Social practice dimensions of practice-based education (Higgs, 2011)

Relevance to interprofessional relationships

Reflective questions for the ongoing development of interprofessional relationships

Education in context:

“Practice-Based Education inevitably occurs within contexts shaped by the interests and practices of students, teachers, practitioner role models, university and workplace settings and society” (p.3).

Students’ and educators’ interactions with other professions can be influenced by their past, current and ongoing experiences.

In relation to the people of different professions I/we work with:

Ÿ To what extent do I/they/we value the contributions of other/my professions?

Ÿ To what extent do I/they/we understand the constraints I/they/we face?

Ÿ How might this influence our interprofessional workplace learning strategies?

Engaging in relationships:

“Practice and pedagogy are essentially about relationships. These are realised through partnerships between learners and academics, workplace learning educators and practitioners, among learners (peer learning), across universities and industry/practice-worlds, among university and practice-based educators, and with universities and regulatory authorities, professional groups, society etc” (p.3).

Relationships between students, workplace learning educators and practitioners can be intertwined across time (in relation to previous and current experiences) and roles (including personal).

In relation to the contexts in which I/they/we work:

Ÿ What opportunities do I/they/we have to develop interpersonal relationships with colleagues from other professions?

Ÿ What opportunities do I/they/we have to facilitate the development interpersonal relationships between other people from other professions?

Ÿ How can these relationships inform my/their/our educational roles in other contexts?

Authenticity and relevance:

“The education approach, including educators’ role modelled behaviours should reflect and be grounded in the expectations, norms, knowledge and practices of the profession” (p.3).

All educators (across university and healthcare settings) have potential to make visible, positive, interprofessional relationships.

In relation to patient-centred collaborative practice:

Ÿ How do I/they/we make it visible to others that I am/they/we are being interested in other professions, inclusive of other professions, bringing a sense of my own profession, valuing the contributions of other professions and understanding the constraints people within other professions face when working and learning?

Ÿ How can I/they/we work with other educators to ensure that positive relationships with other professions are made visible?