UQ Health students get a head start on teamwork

More than 1500 future health professionals will get a unique and entertaining introduction to teamwork tomorrow, Thursday, March 19 at The University of Queensland’s Teamwork in Action Day.

Students from a range of disciplines, from midwifery to speech pathology, will work together on challenging and fun team activities, including lifts and jumps as part of a stunting routine, and construction of an improvised stretcher for a "field emergency".

Faculty of Health Sciences’ Deputy Executive Dean (Academic), Professor Helen Chenery, said while the event was an enjoyable way for students to meet others studying in different areas, the aim was to promote the importance of teamwork in healthcare delivery.

"Health professionals working as an effective team are the key to achieving the best outcomes for patients," Professor Chenery said.

"Despite this, the need for teamwork is not a concept that is widely taught at universities."

Professor Chenery said UQ was the only university in Australia to hold a Teamwork in Action Day for all new health students and was the only university with a faculty-wide interprofessional education curriculum.

"During each year of their degree, students will be required to complete modules reinforcing the importance of collaboration," she said.

"Modules will increase in complexity with their studies and include using a teamwork approach to solving patient cases and improving patient care.

"As a result, UQ health graduates will understand that their profession is not an isolated silo of knowledge and skills, but that they have an important role to play as part of a health team.

They will be better equipped for the demands they will face in delivering quality patient care.

UQ undergraduate health students are enrolled to study dentistry, health sciences, human movement studies, medicine, midwifery, nursing, nutrition, occupational therapy, oral health, pharmacy, physiotherapy and speech pathology.

The Teamwork Action event will run continuously in three different venues at UQ’s St Lucia Campus.

Media are invited to attend the event between 10am & 11am or 2pm & 3pm. Media contact: Marlene McKendry, telephone 07 3346 4713 or 0401 99 6847.