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05 Aug 2020
August '20

Bringing scientists and clinicians together for better patient outcomes

  • VCCC Alliance
Each one, teach one 

Building connectivity and facilitating collaboration and partnerships is a key feature of VCCC alliance work. Our ability to consistently build connections that break down silo-ed ways of of working is central to integrating research, education and clinical care into better outcomes for patients.

Early in the consultation process for the current Strategic Research Plan, scientists and clinicians were identified as distinct groups that would benefit from formal mechanisms to connect; building partnership opportunities for future collaborations.

A shadowing model using clinical staff as role models

A model based on the preceptorship or shadowing method was identified as a mechanism to create and enable meaningful connections with the aim to support and develop staff.

Preceptorship is a time-limited, education-focused model for teaching and learning within a clinical environment that uses clinical staff as role models.

  • Tan K, Feuz C, Bolderston A, Palmer C. A Literature Review of Preceptorship: A Model for the Medical Radiation Sciences? J Med Imaging Radiat Sci. 2011;42:15-20

Based on programs previously implemented at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute and Royal Melbourne Hospital, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre (Peter Mac) and VCCC developed a modified preceptorship model with aligned resources.

Creating a clinical experience to enable better understanding

Supported by the VCCC for the development of ongoing resources, Peter Mac developed a Scientists in the Clinic program that is available as a program model through the VCCC Building Connectivity Program. Peter Mac Acting Research Education Manager, Dr Erika Cretney said the program was well received with ten scientists and 28 clinical staff taking part. Participants commented:

The program has helped lay the groundwork for potential future collaborations, many clinicians extended the invitation to come to meetings or clinics in the future.
The biggest surprise was how rapidly clinicians are compelled to make decisions, and how much assumed knowledge or intrinsic expertise is carried into MDMs (medical decision-making meetings).
This experience made me think more about consumer engagement in research and how useful it would be to have direct patient feedback from the beginning of our research projects.

“The objective of the program was to provide scientists with an opportunity to see firsthand, the complexities of and approaches to clinical care, as well as the interaction between clinicians, patients and carers," says Dr Cretney.

“We envisioned that insight into the clinical experience would enable scientists to better understand the treatment process, focusing on the patient, considering social and economic circumstances, and overall health outcomes in making decisions and delivering clinical care.”

Implementing the program for further connections

The VCCC Scientists in the Clinic program model and resources is now available online for organisations to download, follow and implement.

The Scientists in the Clinic program is a phased model that aims to ensure scientists gain engagement across the whole clinical landscape, to gain key learnings and understand the whole clinical environment.

The online toolkit of resources provides organisations with the key considerations and resources that enables a Scientists in the Clinic program to be implemented in a range of contexts.

For enquiries, contact VCCC Program Manager, Mari Shibaoka, e: [email protected]

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