ACOTUP - Newsletter - Issue 24 - 2015

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Bainbridge from the University of British Columbia, co-au-
thor of the National Interprofessional Competency Frame-
work
Feb1210.pdf), introduced us to Dr. Peter Frost’s Compas-
sion Lab during her keynote address. Ms. Françoise Math-
ieu, a keynote speaker from Compassionate Care
Solutions, Inc., shared her knowledge of self care, wellness,
burn-out and compassion fatigue.
The National Health Care Team Challenge™ is a
friendly competition in which interprofessional student
teams compete in addressing complex health care scenar-
ios while honouring client/patient-centeredness and inter-
professional collaboration. This year’s challenge brought
teams from Dalhousie University, Queen’s University, the
University of Alberta, the University of Ottawa, and the
University of Toronto. A judging panel consisting of repre-
sentatives from faculty, clinical practice, students, the com-
munity/patients, and NaHSSA praised teams for their
clinical reasoning, creativity, and passion. In the end the
team from Queen’s University was thrilled to be awarded
top honours.
With such an emphasis on interprofessional collabora-
tion, it is no surprise that occupational therapy had a strong
presence over the weekend, given that being a “collabo-
rator” is part of our practice profile. Four of the eleven
QHIP members involved with the conference planning
were occupational therapy students, two occupational
therapy students competed in the challenge, and a total of
twenty-five delegates were occupational therapy students
or clinicians. Several occupational therapy students pre-
sented their research in the poster symposium and were
observed networking with students from other health dis-
ciplines. Occupational therapy was also promoted through
informational sheets provided by the Ontario Society of
Occupational Therapists, one of the event sponsors.
The engagement in the conference presentations,
posters and HCTC as well as the enthusiasm witnessed in
interprofessional networking demonstrated that students
of all disciplines are eager to engage in interprofessional
education and events. It appears that interprofessional col-
laboration in the workplace is here to stay, and professions
such as occupational therapy are in a prime position to be
at the forefront to advocate for ongoing collaboration and
enhanced compassionate care. Attending events such as
the National Health Care Team Challenge™& Conference
is one way future occupational therapists can ensure they
are prepared to enter an interprofessional environment
with confidence.
References: Suter, E., Arndt, J., Arthur, N., Parboosingh, J.,
Taylor, E., & Deutschlander, S. (2009). Role understanding
and effective communication as core competencies for
collaborative practice. Journal of Interprofessional Care,
23(1), 41-51.
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