Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences
Urgent and Immediate Patient Care Week (UIPC)
Healthcare requires teamwork, including understanding the roles and capabilities of other professions and working with them to achieve a common goal. UIPC is a four day scenario- based course in which 5th year medical students work with students from other undergraduate programmes to assess and manage patients with acute problems. Final year paramedicine and pharmacy students join on Days 1 and 2, when the context is pre-hospital and then palliative care.
On Days 3 and 4, final year nursing students take the place of the paramedicine students. Interspersed with scenarios and subsequent debriefs are practical exercises in skills required, such as prioritising ward calls. In this way UIPC aims to assist with transition to practice.
The course is held 7 times a year over 4 days at the Simulation Centre for Patient Safety, Ground Floor, Building 721, Tāmaki Innovation Campus, corner of Morrin & Merton Road, St Johns. An interprofessional faculty designed the course and continues to deliver it. Facilitators include junior doctors with an interest in teaching.
Brief objectives of the course
- Describe the roles and expertise of own and other healthcare disciplines
- Practice information sharing
- Recognise limits of expertise and how/ when to involve others
- Use structured communication tools including ISBAR
Learning outcomes
Specific to Medical and Nursing students:
- Perform systematic assessment of an acutely unstable patient
- Initiate management within the scope of practice of a new graduate nurse or doctor
Specific to Pharmacy students:
- Assess potential/actual effect of medication and communicate within team
Assessment
The course is formative ie no formal assessment is undertaken. However it is mandatory to attend and take part fully.
Recommended resources
A variety of resources used by junior doctors and nurses in hospitals are made available prior to the course. Pharmacy and paramedicine students are encouraged to use their normal resources for example Clinical Practice Guidelines.
