Groupwork as the crucible of change in learning teamwork skills

Abstract

Teamwork skills are a significant factor in the dynamics of health care, influencing the quality and safety of care, the workplace culture and health professional retention; clinical errors, bullying and high turnover of staff are features of the workplace when teamwork is poor. The social, emotional and practical skills required for effective teamwork can and should be taught and developed in undergraduate health students. TeamUP, a curriculum enhancement strategy designed to teach, develop and assess these skills, was introduced into each of the three years of a regional undergraduate midwifery program. The development and refinement of TeamUP involved student participation and was approved by the university’s ethics committee. The strategy utilised groupwork assessments as an opportunity to assist students develop these essential teamwork skills.

This paper will present an overview of the development of the model; outline lectures and tutorials; the rubric developed for teaching and assessment; the structured reflective process and the eight assessments of increasing complexity used as groupwork projects. The project planning tools are described and the method of giving and receiving feedback that students were taught to use is explained. The argument is made that including TeamUP in the undergraduate midwifery program provided students with a safe environment within which they could develop and practice the social and emotional interactional skills which underpin the day to day experience of health professionals in the workplace.