IPL – update from School of Pharmacy Fiona Miller Lecturer, School of Pharmacy

What are we trying to achieve? Incorporate IPL as a standard “method of learning” rather than an ad hoc activity Facilitate a shift towards an embedded perception that pharmacists are a useful part of the team * The majority of pharmacists practice in ‘discipline isolation’ * About 10% of students will gain an intern position in a public hospital

Our strategic approach Where are pharmacists? What do they do? What skills do they have, that others might not know about? What skills are generic, and could be learned together? What interactions will grow professional relationships in the ‘real world’?

Where are the pharmacists? On wards In community pharmacy Running drug information and poisons information services Working in clinical trials

What do they do? Pharmacists use their expertise in medicines to optimise health outcomes and minimise medication misadventure. The practice of pharmacy includes the custody, preparation, dispensing and provision of medicines, together with systems and information to assure quality of use. As readily accessible health professionals, pharmacists provide primary health care including education and advice to promote good health and to reduce the incidence of illness. A sound pharmaceutical knowledge base, effective problem-solving, organisational, communication and interpersonal skills, together with an ethical and professional attitude, are essential to the practice of pharmacy. National Competency Standards Framework for Pharmacists in Australia. Pharmaceutical Society 2010

What do they do? Pharmacists use their expertise in medicines to optimise health outcomes and minimise medication misadventure.  CLEIMS-3 : a simulation activity where pharmacy students assist medical students with appropriate and safe prescribing during a ward round Hospital Pharmacists  CLEIMS-3 : a simulation activity where pharmacy students assist medical, dietetics and exercise physiology students with understanding appropriate and safe use of a common but potentially problematic medicine Hospital / Community Pharmacists

What do they do? The practice of pharmacy includes the custody, preparation, dispensing and provision of medicines, together with systems and information to assure quality of use.  IV medication round : a simulation activity where pharmacy students assist nursing students with appropriate administration of IV medications Hospital Pharmacists

What do they do? As readily accessible health professionals, pharmacists provide primary health care including education and advice to promote good health and to reduce the incidence of illness.  STEPS : a simulation activity around the themes of health promotion, self-management strategies and motivational interviewing, with exercise physiology students Community Pharmacists

What do they do? A sound pharmaceutical knowledge base, effective problem-solving, organisational, communication and interpersonal skills, together with an ethical and professional attitude, are essential to the practice of pharmacy.  CLEIMS-4 : simulated professional interactions (conducted over the phone) where the skills of handover, sharing of care, clinical reasoning, provision of drug information and problem-solving are required Community Pharmacists  Communication Skills workshops : shared small group workshops with medical students, practising skills of history taking, culturally appropriate communication, ethical challenges Community Pharmacists

Are we meeting learning objectives? STEPS with Exercise Physiology : all participating Pharmacy students agreed or strongly agreed that the inter-professional activity better prepared them for collaborative management of cardiovascular disease

Are we meeting learning objectives? Cultural Competence and Diversity communication workshop : the majority of students commented on – feeling nervous and then more relaxed – the value of feedback from peers – to ask rather than assume Many students commented on how interested the Medical students were in them Those that had joined the Med students for a previous activity noted they didn’t feel nervous initially, yet still gained new insights into their communication strategies

Are we meeting learning objectives? CLEIMS-4 phone calls : students identified – the difference in trying to communicate professionally over the phone – the difficulty in remaining concise and predicting potential questions (so as to have an answer ready) – the time pressure made them realise what practice might be like many reflected on their strength being drug knowledge and problem-solving

Plans for the future Formalise aligned assessment strategies with partner disciplines (eg preparation and engagement, attitudinal change, reflection) Under consideration : an interprofessional workshop on the theme of vaccination