title: Not just another multi-professional course! Part 2: nuts and bolts of designing a transformed curriculum for multi-professional learning.
abstract: Multi-professional education has traditionally aimed to develop health professionals who are able to collaborate effectively in comprehensive healthcare delivery. The respective professions learn about their differences in order to work together, rather than developing unity in their commitment to a shared vision of professionalism and service. In this, the second of two papers, the 'nuts and bolts' or practicalities of designing a transformed curriculum for a multi-professional course with a difference is described. Guidelines for the curriculum design process, which seeks to be innovative, grounded in theory and relevant to the learning of the students and the ultimately the health of the patients, include: valuing education; gaining buy-in; securing buy-out; defining of roles; seeking consensus; negotiating difference and expediting decisions. The phases of the design process are described, as well as the educational outcomes envisaged during the process. Reflections of the designers, in particular on what it means to be a multi-professional team, and a reconceptualization of multi-professional education are presented as challenges for educators of health professionals.
authors.affiliation: School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Observatory, South Africa. pmayers@uctgsh1.uct.ac.za
authors.forename: Pat
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Mayers
authors.forename: Melanie
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Alperstein
authors.forename: Madeleine
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Duncan
authors.forename: Lorna
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Olckers
authors.forename: Trevor
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Gibbs
mesh_terms: D003299:Cooperative Behavior; D003479:Curriculum; D017408:Guidelines as Topic; D006281:Health Occupations / Q000193:education*; D006801:Humans; D007400:Interprofessional Relations; D007858:Learning