The Dalhousie Health Mentors Program: introducing students to collaborative patient/client-centered practice.

Area of Science:

• Health Professions Education
• Interprofessional Collaboration
• Patient-Centered Care

Background:

• The Dalhousie Health Mentors Program builds on existing interprofessional health education initiatives.
• It introduces students to chronic conditions, disabilities, and patient-centeredness.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the structure and implementation of a large-scale interprofessional education program.
• To highlight the learning experiences of students interacting with Health Mentors.

Main Methods:

• A year-long program connecting interprofessional student teams with adult volunteers (Health Mentors) with chronic conditions.
• Students explore mentors' life stories, chronic condition journeys, and healthcare experiences.

Main Results:

• The program involves 16 participating programs and 650 students.
• All program aspects, including planning, management, implementation, and evaluation, are interprofessional.
• Students gain insights into the impact of chronic conditions on patients' lives and healthcare experiences.

Conclusions:

• The program fosters interprofessional learning and team functioning.
• Valuable lessons were learned regarding the implementation of interprofessional education.
• The initiative promotes a deeper understanding of patient experiences in healthcare.