A recent survey has found that Curtin University health sciences students are ‘highly satisfied’ with the new interprofessional education (IPE) curriculum.
Introduced in semester one this year, Curtin is the first university in Australia to offer an integrated interprofessional experience to its students across its 22 health sciences undergraduate degrees.
More than 1600 health students rated their learning experience of the pioneering curriculum, which provides students with a head start on teamwork, recording opinions on teaching quality, motivation and learning resources, through Curtin’s online eVALUate survey.
One of the key learning subjects, which introduces students to Indigenous cultures, received a 94 per cent satisfaction rate and a subject exploring the factors that influence health and wellbeing of individuals followed closely behind at 93 per cent.
Other courses that performed well include Biomedical Science with a 94 per cent success rate and Functional Anatomy achieving an average of 93 per cent.
First-year midwifery student Norafiah Lever of Carlisle said she enjoyed the Indigenous course because it challenged the misconceptions people may have and highlighted issues that have an enormous impact on the health of Indigenous people in Australia.
“This unit has contributed to my personal growth because it encourages self-reflection,” Ms Lever said.
“We have learned about cultural differences and how they contribute to people’s attitudes towards their health and treatment. Even as a first-year midwifery student I am already able to apply this learning in my continuity of care experiences.
“I’ve enjoyed studying alongside other health students. We’ve been able to get an understanding of how each of our professions can collaborate to provide the best possible care and service to the client.”
Pro Vice-Chancellor of the Faculty of Health Sciences Professor Jill Downie said the University was delighted with the positive outcome.
“Traditional university curriculum structures limit the time that students from different professions can spend together, learning about and from each other,” Professor Downie said.
“The new IPE curriculum encourages students studying diverse health degrees to work together as a collaborative team from day one of their education to ensure the delivery of improved safety and quality in health and social care services.
“The survey confirms that students are enjoying this cutting-edge program. We’ve also already seen an improvement in student progression rates.”
Contacts:
Teresa Belcher / Kristy Jones, Public Relations, Curtin University
Tel: 08 9266 9085, Email: teresa.belcher@curtin.edu.au / k.jones@curtin.edu.au
