The Interprofessional Education Program (IEP) in Curtin University’s Faculty of Health Sciences has been awarded first place in the Australian Best Practice Competition 2012 in Sydney.
Run by Australian benchmarking firm Benchmarking Partnerships, this competition assesses the work practices of some of Australia’s pioneering and award-winning organisations, who are leading the way in best practice.
Margo Brewer, Director of Interprofessional Practice in the Faculty of Health Sciences, provided an overview of the University’s very successful IEP program at the one-day workshop, outlining how it was aimed at building a more flexible and responsive health workforce.
She said how the IEP promoted collaborative practice across the health and social work disciplines to break down the professional barriers that can undermine communication and the quality and safety of patient care.
“Interprofessional education is a key initiative in the Faculty of Health Sciences, driven by recognition that no single health profession or discipline has the capability to deliver optimal care for the whole range of health and social issues,” she said.
“The introduction of a first-year curriculum in the interprofessional program just last year was an Australian first, adding to the existing education, practice and research activities that have now been in operation for four years.”
Associate Professor Sue Jones, Dean of Teaching and Learning at Curtin noted that attracting a national award for best practice within its first five years was a great compliment to the team’s work on the program.
“The competition was extremely competitive with Curtin’s interprofessional initiatives recognised for providing outstanding continuous quality improvement and for the deployment of best practices in the industry,” she said.
Curtin will now compete in the 1st International Best Practice Competition, which will be held in Auckland, New Zealand from 5-7 December 2012.
Contact:
Associate Professor Sue Jones, Dean of Teaching and Learning, Curtin University
Tel: 08 9266 4094, Email: sue.jones@curtin.edu.au
Learn more about Curtin University’s IPE: http://healthsciences.curtin.edu.au/faculty/ipe_about.cfm
Hillary Lambert, Public Relations, Curtin University
Tel: 08 9266 9085, Email: Hillary.Lambert@curtin.edu.au Web: http://curtin.edu.au
