Learning Community Care Together - An experiment of shared learning between the

students of nursing and social workSalla Seppänen

MNSc, Senior Lecturer, Project co-ordinator

Oulu Polytechnic, School of Health and Social Care

International and Interdisciplinary Community Care 20 cu (800hrs)

• Module developed in Leonardo da Vinci curriculum project

” Community Care - Developing an International Degree programme for Nurse Education”

together with:

Finland, The Netherlands and United Kingdom

Aims of Community Care pilot project was

• to develop a curriculum for a degree programme of Community Care for nurse education at bachelor level

• to develop a curriculum for a continuing education of Community Care in multiprofessional studies

Project partners

• Oulu Polytechnic, Oulainen School of Health Care (co-ordinator), FIN

• Oulu Polytechnic, School of Social Work, FIN

• University of Oulu, Department of Nursing and Health Administartion, FIN

• Haagland College, NL

• University of Central England in Birmingham, UK

Co-operation with placements

• NbC Health Trust ( UK )• London Borough of Redbridge ( UK )• Medical Health College ( H )• Taukokangas Rehabilitation Centre (for War

Veterans) ( FIN )• Oulaskangas Hospital, Rehabilitation unit ( FIN )

Philosophy of community care defined in the project

Community care is about people and the kind of services they need to enable them to live as independent a life as possible in their own communities. Central to the philosophy is notion of a person in their communities. This includes their relationships with family, neighbours, volunteers and paid workers; it also includes any relation they may have with local resources such as places of worship and educational provision. The client is defined as an individual, a family, a group of people or a whole community. There may be many professionals involved in contributing to provide services in an integrated and constructive way, so that all are clear about how various contributions can work to the best advantage for a person using services. For each country this philosophy will be affected by physical, technical. cultural, political, legal and economical factors on which the society is built.

1. Philosophy of Community Care

Individual

Family

Community

Well-being

Health

Community Care

Community Care

Physical

Technical factors

Economical factors

Cultural

factors

Political Legal factors

Copyright Leonardo da Vinci Pilot Project No 33150, Community Care

Client

• an individual

• a family

• a group of people

• a community

The aim of community care is to meet the needs of the people

living in communities

The principles of community care

• holistic and client-centred service provision

• continuing of care - seamless services

• independence of a client

The central values of community care

• holism

• equality

• partnership

Qualification of community nurse

• the ability to work in multicultural societies and communities with people at different ages and in different life situations

Co-operation with

• client and carers• institutional and non-

institutional sector• health care and social

welfare• local authorities and

voluntary sector / third sector

COMMUNITY CARE STUDIESTHE STUDENT FLOWS

• AUTUMN 1997

• SPRING 1998

• AUTUMN 1998

• 7 FINNISH STUDENTS TO UK• 2 FINNISH STUDENTS TO

HUNGARY

• 4 STUDENTS FROM NETHERLANDS TO FINLAND

• 2 STUDENTS FROM HUNGARY TO FINLAND

• 2 STUDENTD FROM FINLAND TO THE NETHERLANDS

Vocational studies

For students of second or third year

Included

• Introduction (90 hrs) partly in home institution and partly in host institution

• 12 weeks practical training period in abroad with tutoring (420 hrs)

• Post seminars in home institution (90 hrs)

• Self directed studies by portfolio (200 hrs)

The aims of studies• To get familiar with community care activities in an

other European country.• To gain an understanding of the meaning of health and

the possibilities for health promotion in different cultures.

• Develop the ability to understand the meaning of the historical, physical, technical, cultural, political and legal factors of a community, which influence the individual’s, family’s life and well-being.

• To gain understanding of the interdisciplinary teamwork in community care.

The student could choose their view/ orientation into the studies

• An individual or a family as a client

• A community as a client

Learning outcomes of the pre-studies• Understand debates and theoretical frameworks of community

care

• Be familiar with epidemiological sources and how they effect to the health and well-being of an individual / a family and a community.

• Be familiar with health and social policy and legal and economical factors in her/his own country

• Be familiar with community care and system in his / her country

• Be familiar with cultural based care and have basic skills to communicate with people from different culture.

• Have experience of care management and understand the key elements of care management

• Be familiar with research methods needed in community care

Specified learning outcomes of the pre-studies

• Be familiar with assessment of the needs of an individual and a family

or Be familiar with community analysis method

and measurements

Practical trainingIndividual/ family as a client in a community

(content of studies)

• Analysing the social and health needs of an individual and a family

• Analysing existing resources of a client, a family and a community to establish a supporting network for a client

• Planning and implementing a personal care plan together with an individual and a family as well as with other professionals in the field of social and health care

• Familiarise with interdisciplinary teamwork and care management

• Co-ordinating help and support according to a client´s needs

Practical training Community as a client (content of the studies)

• Define concept of community care at national and international level

• Explore the concept of care and health promotion on a collective level

• Identify demographic and epidemiological trends which influence health and welfare provision in a defined area

• Be aware of history and physical, technical, cultural, political and legal changes in a defined area.

Portfolio working • To analyse community care practice

• To re-construct perception of community care

• To integrate theory into community care practice

Portfolio had two parts

1. Reflective diary

2. Conceptual map

1. Reflective diary

• Focusing on the personal learning experience

• Ventilator for feelings like frustration, stress, succession

2. Conceptual map• Description of students´s ideas of

community care in the form of picture

• Includes all relevant concepts of community care

• Concepts are structured hierarchically

• Connections between concepts are described by lines -”link words”

• The analysis of conceptual map integrates theory -

• Meaning of the concepts in this special context

Conceptual map1. Make list of the key concepts

2. Choose the key concepts

3. Structures the concepts hierarchically

4. Show the relations and connections between concepts

5. Define the content of concepts by theory and research

6. Integrate the concepts contextually in client´s case

7. Write summary of the key concepts, their content and their relations to each other

Post studies

Reflective seminars and theory sessions to

deep students understanding of

• debates and theoretical frameworks of community

• connections of two different definitions of client in community care “an individual / a family as a client” and “a community as a client”

• care management and interprofessional teamwork in community care

• possibilities to develop community care practice by research

Conclusions

• The students experience of shared learning were positive

• The pre and post seminars facilitated interdisciplinary discussions

• The students reported that shared area between social work and nursing is now easier to understand

• The own client cases integrated practice and theory

Conceptual map was a guide for practical training

• Guided student´s personal learning objectives

• Organised client´s care

• Helped tutor/mentor to supervise a student

• Helped student to integrate theory and practice

• Gave material for the seminars to further conceptualisation of elements of community care

• Made learning visible - evaluation of the learning during the practice was possible