Facilitator Workshops

Investing in staff development is a critical element of Common Learning. The Project has invested specifically in developing the skills of both University and Practice staff to support the facilitation of the Interprofessional Learning Units.

The capacity, capability and quality of the learning support within organisations is key to supporting profession specific and interprofessional education (DoH 2001). As a leading edge site we have developed a facilitated collaborative learning model to support the Interprofessional Learning Units.

Development of Interprofessional Facilitator Workshops

‘The number of ‘teachers’ engaged in interprofessional education is increasing rapidly. More therefore needs to be done, not simply to hand on past experience, but to demonstrate how principles of adult learning can be applied to interprofessional learning informed by the evidence and alive to changes in practice.’ (Barr 2002)

It is clear that staff who have learning support roles play a vital part in establishing and maintaining conditions that enable students to learn skills and attitudes appropriate to interprofessional team working.

In 2002, the Project ran a series of pilot interprofessional workshops to further develop the facilitation skills of practice and university based staff. The workshops brought together a diverse group of health and social care staff with varying amount of experience in small group facilitation. Following the pilot, a programme of Interprofessional Facilitator Workshops has been planned to run from Feb 2003 onwards. These will be for all staff that will facilitate the Interprofessional Learning Units that health and social work students from across both universities will undertake from October 2003.

What are the benefits of attending an interprofessional facilitator workshop?

Each profession currently has arrangements to prepare staff to undertake student learning support roles. The various professional regulatory bodies have diverse requirements for such preparation. Analysis of these demonstrates common themes related to theory and practice of learning, assessment, and reflection in and on practice. Differences exist between the programmes in the methods of programme delivery, level, assessment and ability to accredit prior experience of staff.

The Interprofessional Facilitator Workshops are designed to build on the variety of experiences and qualifications that individuals bring to the workshop. The workshop process will enable individuals and teams to identify their learning needs in order to support interprofessional groups of learners. The following quotes are from participants who engaged in the pilot workshops:

The workshop allowed me to think about new ways of learning and gave me an increased understanding of what was involved in facilitating an interprofessional group
(Paul Smith, Pharmacist, North Hants).

I realised over the two days that the theories of adult learning and facilitation were not particularly new to me, but the workshop has given me ideas and increased confidence of how to apply it to practice and to an interprofessional student group”
(Karen Fortune, Nurse manager, North Hants).

Accreditation
Certificates of attendance will be provided for all workshop participants. The workshops are also accredited by:

- College of Pharmacy Practice (15 CPP credits)
- Royal College of Pathologists, R.C.Path (15 CPD / CME points)
- PGEA (Postgraduate credits for G.P.'s)

If you require evidence of attendance for any of the above accreditation bodies in addition to the standard certificate of attendance please contact:

Mrs Pam Jackson
Curriculum Lead for Common Learning
Health Care Innovation Unit
Tel : 023 8059 8830
Email: paj3@soton.ac.uk

References
Department of Health (2001) Working Together – Learning Together: A framework for lifelong learning in the NHS. Department of Health. London.

Barr, H (2002) Interprofessional Education. Today, Yesterday and Tomorrow. A review commissioned by The Learning and Teaching Support Network for Health & Practice and The UK Centre for the Advancement of Interprofessional Education.