Evidence

I first started developing this competency during my time at Hospice Calgary where I collaborated with colleagues to develop a falls prevention safety plan complying with standards outlined by Accreditation Canada. This was the first time I had been involved in a quality control initiative within the healthcare field and being exposed to policy/standards was a great learning experience.

 

I have further developed this competency through my fieldwork placements where I worked on interprofessional teams involving nurses, physicians, surgeons, psychiatrists, physiotherapists, and other occupational therapists. I have needed to research and assess evidence-based approaches, utilize this information to devise a treatment plan, and communicate the goals to the team. From here, it was imperative that as a team we analyzed the information as a whole to create an intervention plan that was functionally based and client-centered. Specifically, in my first and second placements, I was involved in weekly rounds where the inter-professional team met and discussed each client’s progress and the intervention direction.

 

My collaboration skills were further enhanced when I co-chaired a conference on health and human rights in October 2015. I managed a team of 20 individuals from five different undergraduate and graduate study programs where it was necessary to negotiate conflict resolution and support the team function. I had to recognize my own limitations and differences as well as those of team members to ensure a respectful and egalitarian environment. In the end, the conference had over 200 delegates attend and we were able to have Dr. Samantha Nutt, Founder of War Child, and Dr. Andrew Pinto as our afternoon keynote speakers. The event was a great venue for discussion and conversation on the topic of local and global access to health. I was so proud of the team and myself for collaborating and organizing such an successful event.

 

Future Learning

I will continue to research and understand the roles and responsibilities of different team members and professions and understand how this relates to the scope of practice for occupational therapy by my level III placement.