Preparing for inter-professional practice: Supporting students in a challenging international, inter-professional workplace learning experience - the Vietnam program

Aim: A key issue for workplace learning in health professions is how to provide undergraduates with meaningful inter-professional workplace experiences, in order to produce graduates who are prepared for inter-professional practice. The aim of this study was to explore, refine and describe the components required to successfully prepare and support students to develop their inter-professional skills in a challenging international workplace learning experience. Design: A qualitative, iterative reflective cycle was used to review the inter-professional Vietnam placement over a 4 year period. The process, involving university staff, partner organization therapists and participating students, included informal feedback, surveys and focus groups.Results: Components identified as integral to successful preparation and support of students included: understanding the challenges of inter-professional learning and students’ different starting points in this process; and developing concrete strategies, based on previous student experiences, to prepare students for inter-professional learning opportunities. Strategies included: dedicating time during the pre-departure workshop to focus on navigating the challenges of inter-professional practice; use of experienced clinical educators, familiar with the complexities of inter-professional approaches, and able to model negotiation and conflict management; and the use of a formalized 3 year staffing and reflective cycle to enable refinement of the process. Conclusion/Key Practice Points: •Inter-professional learning doesn’t necessarily lead smoothly to inter-professional practice •One key to success of an inter-professional learning experience is our ability to prepare students for the challenges they will face around these issues•Components for success include preparation activities, role models and a formalized, reflective cycle.