Educators learning with, from and about each other: lessons from a UK project

Jill Anderson, Hilary Burgess and Lynn Tang

Mental Health in Higher Education

It is generally accepted that interprofessional education provides a platform on which interprofessional practice can be built.

Our starting point. . .

what lays the foundation

for interprofessional education?

but

6

Interdisciplinary learning for educators

“Although the literature is replete with examples of interprofessionaleducation programs at the undergraduate and postgraduate levels of training, few professional development programs are described; and yet, without appropriate and effective role models, teaching in this area is bound to fail”

(Steinert, 2005)

If it is compulsory for the students, then perhaps all the staff should be doing it too”

(Karban & Smith)

The missing link?

Building blocks for effective practice

Effective practice

in p

ractice

Interprofessional working

Interprofessional learning

for e

du

cato

rs

Interprofessional working

Interprofessional learning

Who are the educators?

• Academics

• Practice educators

• Service users• Patients and carers• Families

• Students?

Effective practice

Interprofessional working in practice 

Interprofessional learning 

Interprofessional working in higher education  

Interprofessional learning for educators 

Service user and carer involvem

ent

Why IPE is important in mental health

• Government policy for interprofessional practice (e.g. new integrated trusts, 10 Essential Shared Capabilities, New Ways of Working, regulators’ requirements)

• Growing importance placed on the perspectives of service users (patients) and carers, and the emphasis they place on the need for collaborative practice

Mental Health in Higher Education

The Mental Health in Higher Education project (mhhe) aims to enhance learning and teaching about mental health through increasing networking and the sharing of approaches across the disciplines in higher education.

Initial research showed

Many mental health educators

• were isolated and had little opportunity for engagement with educators from other disciplines

• had difficulty in keeping up with pace of change in practice and policy

Anderson, 2003

mhhe partners

• Educators from 5 Subject Centres of the Higher Education AcademyMedicine, Psychology, Social Work, Teaching,

Health Disciplines (nursing, midwifery, occupational therapy, physiotherapy etc)

• 2 Universities with Centres for Mental Health education (Birmingham and Middlesex) and one with a Centre for Workforce Development in mental health (Lincoln)

• Developers of User and Carer Involvement in Education (DUCIE) network

Information exchange: mhhe

• database of MH educators, now 1000+• e-bulletin 6 times a year• web-site• exemplars of teaching and learning• good practice guides e.g. Learning From Experience• national electronic discussion group• information sheets re mental health teaching in each

discipline

IPE for educators: levels

international

national

regional

institutional

personal

IPE for educators: Tools

o workshops o networking sessionso information exchange

• web• e-mail • publications

IPE for educators:networking personal interests

• Teaching about arts/theatre and MH across the professions

• Teaching about spirituality and MH across the professions

• Models for involving service users in teaching

• Professional regulation requirements for teaching about risk and confidentiality

IPE for Educators: institutional themes and examples

• A symposium for educators from 6 disciplines to share innovation and dilemmas in teaching mental health (University of Birmingham)

• Meeting held across disciplines in one university to discuss national policy development and its implications for practice and education

IPE for Educators: regional themes and examples

• Developing regional networks• Assessing practice• Use of terminology• Teaching about values• Updates on policy and practice• Identifying key local regional resources• Sharing success and challenges in working with other

professions

IPE for Educators: national themes and examples

• Creating opportunities for dialogue, through national events (e.g. User involvement in learning and teaching about mental health)

• Showcasing innovations in MH education, including use of information technology

• Bringing disciplines together through the mhhe steering group

• Nurturing communities of practice eg the Developers of User and Carer Involvement (DUCIE) network

IPE for educators – international themes and examples

EIPEN

IPE for educators: some questions

• What needs to be in place if interprofessional learning is to take place between educators?

• To what extent are such opportunities available (and developed) within universities?

• How can they be enhanced?

Enhancing IPE for educators – an exercise

• Design a university/practice setting in which interprofessional learning opportunities for educators are maximised.

• How close is this picture to a description of your own university or practice base?

• What strategies might you introduce to enhance interprofessional learning opportunities for educators?

• What resources would be helpful?

Contact details

Mental Health in Higher Education

www.mhhe.heacademy.ac.uk

Jill Anderson: j.anderson@lancaster.ac.ukHilary Burgess: h.c.burgess@bristol.ac.ukLynn Tang: l.tang@bham.ac.uk

References

• Anderson J. (2003) Keeping in Touch, Mental Health Today, September

• Anderson, J. & Burgess, H. (2007) Educators Learning Together: linking communities of practice in Stickley, T. & Basset, T. (eds) Teaching Mental Health, Chichester: John Wiley

• Karban, K. & Smith, S., Talking the talk and walking the walk – developing interprofessional learning in higher education (Poster presentation)http://www.leedsmet.ac.uk/health/ipl/features/35479poster-6.pdf

• Steinert, Y. (2005) Learning together to teach together: Interprofessional education and faculty development, Journal of Interprofessional Care, Volume 19, Supplement 1, 60-75