Dawson's 4th annual Interprofessional Education (IPE) Symposium on Communication, conflict resolution, and collective care took place Friday, Oct. 17. This activity brought together all 216 students and 32 instructors/facilitators from the seven medical technology and social service disciplines. The day's activities took place in a variety of venues in the Montreal Forum building, including a large cinema theatre.
The symposium featured a balance of skits performed by professional actors who graduated from Dawson's Professional Theatre program, large group reflection activities, case studies, and interactive breakout sessions. A key enhancement from previous years was the redesign of the morning session and streamlining of breakout room activities. These sessions were intentionally structured to provide participants with more opportunities for meaningful discussion, shared problem-solving, and peer collaboration. These reflective activities and breakout sessions were outlined in both student and teacher booklets.
New This Year
- Pre-Symposium Didactic video: In past years, the Social Service department presented a didactic session on communication and conflict resolution during the morning session. After receiving feedback that some of this information was already taught at various levels to the different disciplines, we decided that a pre-video given as homework to each student attending the Symposium would help to ensure that all attending arrived with the same level of knowledge. Removing the didactic presentation in the morning session allowed for more time to be devoted to discussions across the disciplines in the breakout rooms.
- Facilitator Onboarding Sessions: In the past, the IPE symposium team created onboarding videos for facilitators which outlined the day's proceedings. This year we added to that video and asked that facilitators attend one of two one-hour onboarding sessions. During these sessions, we discussed the day's schedule and the goal of each breakout room activity. This meant that all facilitators were entering the day with the same understanding of the activities. It also allowed them to ask any questions that they had before the activity occurred.
- Streamlined Activities: The learning activities were more cohesive and better aligned with the symposium's central themes. This allowed the students to focus on applying communication and conflict resolution strategies in realistic, interdisciplinary scenarios.
- Enhanced Collaboration: Large group and breakout room sessions were redesigned to encourage deeper interprofessional exchange and conversation. This year, we set aside time in the large theatre to debrief the skits and case study. This helped students fill in their student booklets, which guided them through their day's learning activities.
- Reflective Integration: Students were given space to reflect on how collective care principles can be integrated into their own disciplines, reinforcing empathy, respect, and shared accountability for the betterment of their patient's care.
Participant and Facilitator Feedback
Initial feedback has been overwhelmingly positive! Veteran Facilitators noted that the new format allowed students to "interact in guided discussions that fostered more group collaboration compared to previous iterations where students were tasked with filling out multiple tables." Many also appreciated the smoother flow of activities as it made their jobs as facilitators more streamlined.
The student feedback included:
- "It was a great activity, and it helped me understand other disciplines." (Biomedical Laboratory Technology student)
- "Great learning and networking experience." (Nursing student)
- "It was fun to get to know students from the other disciplines. I wish we had more opportunities like this." (Diagnostic Imaging Technology student)
Some constructive feedback was to gamify the case studies a little more, add a time where students could freely discuss their roles and overlap in their future work environments, and potentially shorten the day. This feedback and more will help us tweak future iterations of the symposium to continue improving the student experience with each coming year.
Conclusion
This year's symposium successfully advanced the goals of interprofessional education by fostering more open dialogue and collaboration across the disciplines. The refined structure and emphasis on experiential learning created an engaging and impactful environment for all participants and facilitators. Multiple facilitators mentioned that they felt inspired by the students they engaged with and that they were hopeful that the soon to be medical and social service professionals from Dawson were going to be agents of change in their future work environments.
Thank You's!
We would like to thank some important people and departments that helped with the symposium. Firstly, we would like to thank the Dawson Foundation's Student Academic Growth and Enrichment (SAGE) for their continued help in funding the activity by covering the cost of the theatre rental. We would like to thank our SMSE sector deans and SSAP for their contribution to the day as well!
Another important person that needs a shoutout is Catherine from Room reservations. She worked VERY hard to help us find rooms to hold all our 10 breakout rooms, and we thank the teachers that graciously gave up their rooms so that the symposium could take place.
Additionally, we would like to thank Campus Life, the Dawson Student Union, Dawson Campus Recreation, and the Dawson Communications Office for all donating to the pool of raffle prizes for our students. Anytime Fitness and The Atwater Club also graciously donated a prize to be raffled off to the students, while Marché Korea donated bananas and delicious donuts for our students! The official raffle of prizes will take place Friday, Oct. 24, one week following the activity!
Lastly, this day wouldn't be able to take place without the dedication and hard work from all of the IPE teams and its disciplines. The teachers/facilitators of the day were fantastic, and their experience added to the magic of the day!
