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17 JULY 2009
NO 1462
Cross-professional Collaboration
What do you get when you put nursing students and Child and Youth Care students in the same room? Sounds like some kind of joke, but there is no punch line. What you get is good, old- fashioned collaboration. In a day and age where it is often every person for themselves, collaboration is something that dreams are made of.
Collaboration and cooperation are necessary in many areas of everyday life, and health care is no different. There seem to be an abundance of health care professionals in various disciplines, and at times a lack of communication, but this need not always be the case. Intersectoral collaboration between students of different disciplines prepares them for their eventual work- place.
Health Canada has taken the view that the health of Canadians is the responsibility of Canadians themselves. They work with the Population Health Promotion Approach, a model that addresses the range of factors that determine the health of individuals and the community (see Health Canada,). These determinants of health include: income and social status, social support network, education, employment and working conditions, physical environment, biology and genetic endowment, personal health practices and coping skills, healthy child development and health services.
As a vital part of the population health approach, Health Canada has stated that, “…a key element of a population health approach is the recognition that improving health is a shared responsibility. ‘Intersectoral collaboration’ is the joint action among health and other groups to improve health outcomes.” (Health Canada,). This involves collaboration between not only health care professions, but also between the various levels of government and other organizations.
The Alcohol and Drug Abuse Prevention and Treatment (ADAPT) Society in Nanaimo, British Columbia, is dedicated to preventing and treating substance abuse in youth aged 12 to 19. This community agency is located in the downtown area, and offers programs to youth and families who are experiencing substance use. One such program is the Youth Wellness Project, a one-year pilot project funded by the Queen Alexandra Foundation. The goals of this project are two-fold:
to offer a solution to the gap that exists in services for youth in Nanaimo.
to provide a valuable practicum experience for students from the Faculty of Health and Human Services at Malaspina University-College.
There are currently eight students involved with the Youth Wellness Project; four nursing students in their final year of their studies in the Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) program, and four Child and Youth Care (CYC) students at various stages of their studies. Staff of the Youth Wellness Project assess, plan, implement and evaluate programs offered to meet the diverse needs of ‘at-risk’ youth.
As a result, the BSN and Child and Youth Care students have many opportunities to collaborate on a number of different projects, which include such things as: tutoring at a youth housing facility, facilitating a cooking group for youth, supervising at community dances, and instructing the “Kick the Nic” program at schools.
The BSN and Child and Youth Care practicum students and their supervisors meet every other week for check-in and discussion. These bi-weekly meetings have proven to be invaluable to the Youth Wellness Project. This is where ideas and resources are shared with the group.
SHANNON SCARISBRICK
Scarisbrick, S. (2005). Collaboration and the Youth Wellness Project. Relational Child and Youth Care Practice, 17(4), pp.65-66
