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Three interprofessional teams of Queen’s University students will participate in the seventh annual Queen’s Health Care Team Challenge (HCTC), coordinated by the Office of Interprofessional Education & Practice (OIPEP). Composed of students from Nursing, Medicine, Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy and Clinical Psychology, the teams will compete to develop a comprehensive care plan for a patient case study. Their care plans will be assessed and judged by a five-member panel of clinical, student, patient and faculty representatives.

“It is our hope that students will experience the benefits of collaboration in health care through this experiential learning event,” says Anne O’Riordan, Clinical Educator with OIPEPand a lecturer in the School of Rehabilitation Therapy. “Students in past years have told us that this event was both educational and fun. We believe it also helps prepare them for real life scenarios with its inherent challenges and successes.”

In recent years, the university has partnered with clinical teams from the community to develop the case. Members of that clinical team then join the judging panel to see the student teams present their collaborative care plans. The case study for this year’s challenge was developed by Lieutenant-Commander Bradley Stewart, Base Surgeon of the 33 Health Services Centre at Canadian Forces Base Kingston, who will take part in the judging panel.,  Commanding Officer Major Marlene Lefebvre enthusiastically supported this initiative and will also be in attendance.

“This creates a win-win situation,” explains Ms. O’Riordan. “The students experience realistic issues while the clinicians consider care plans that are innovative and evidence-based, with a healthy dose of creativity. Now we have community partners approaching us and volunteering to be involved.”

The Health Care Team Challenge started at the University of British Columbia in the 1980s. The concept was adopted by several universities in Ontario over the past decade, with the first Ontario-wide competition held in 2010. The winning team will be eligible to compete in the national Health Care Team Challenge in March 2016 at Dalhousie University.

The competition will take place Monday, Nov. 16 from 5-7 pm in the Medical School Building, room 132. All are welcome to attend.