Community-based education and Interprofessional education:
We at the University of the Free State are strongly committed to societal engagement and to strengthening the framework of the communities we serve. Engaged scholarship refers to the way universities engage the diverse community in which they operate. Engagement with the community enriches the curriculum, research initiatives, teaching, and student attributes. A key element of engaged scholarship is to link local needs with global knowledge projects and maintain the relevance of the academic syllabus. In the Faculty of Health Science (FoHS) at the UFS, Community Based Education (CBE) is a key component of primary health care (PHC) initiatives. A community-based approach to education is essential in addressing the health concerns of the whole community. By interacting with the community, students can gain a deeper understanding of what is needed in the community. Healthcare professionals are encouraged to collaborate through interprofessional education (IPE). Collaborative practice is one of the critical competencies of interprofessional education (IPE). Interprofessional competencies are developed through the Rural Community Initiative offered by the FoHS on the CBE-IPE platform in the Kopanong Municipality, Xhariep District. Core competencies such as the identification of roles and responsibilities, patient-centered care, professionalism, and communication between professionals are developed via IPE placements on the collaborative practice platform in Trompsburg and Springfontein.
‘Kopanang le fodise – United to heal’ is the motto for this project in the Southern Free State
All fourth-year students of the Faculty of Health Sciences will each spend at least a week in IPE groups in primary healthcare facilities in the Kopanong municipality of the Xariep district on a CBE-IPE platform in Trompsburg and Springfontein. IPE groups placed in the Southern Free State are accommodated in the Faculty’s residence in Trompsburg. The residence can accommodate 60 students housed in 10 units that each can accommodate six students per IPE group. Each apartment has two bathrooms, a fully equipped kitchen and a living area. The idea being that students from different disciplines are constantly engaged whether in the work environment at “home” and during play. To facilitate interaction amongst the students of the FoHS’ Schools and to assist in teaching, learning and assessment including student mentoring, a permanent academic facilitator was appointed while each School in the FoHS provide additional facilitators to assist with the IPE weeks.
Junior IPE:
The 1st year Bachelor of Nursing students, in collaboration with the School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, are involved in a project at early childhood development Centers (ECD’s) in the greater Mangaung and Trompsburg areas. The project is focused on assessing the health, nutrition, and development of children at the selected ECD’s. The nursing students are able to apply their knowledge and practice their psychomotor and communication skills while gathering specific data related to the health of the parents/caregivers and children. Being involved in a research project at such an early phase of their career can create a deeper understanding of their discipline and improve problem-solving skills. It is expected of the students to develop a health promotion intervention that are based on the specific identified gaps and community needs. These interventions are presented in creative posters/radio talks/pamphlets.
‘Kopanang le fodise – United to heal’ is the motto for this project in the Southern Free State
All fourth-year students of the Faculty of Health Sciences will each spend at least a week in IPE groups in primary healthcare facilities in the Kopanong municipality of the Xariep district on a CBE-IPE platform in Trompsburg and Springfontein. IPE groups placed in the Southern Free State are accommodated in the Faculty’s residence in Trompsburg. The residence can accommodate 60 students housed in 10 units that each can accommodate six students per IPE group. Each apartment has two bathrooms, a fully equipped kitchen and a living area. The idea being that students from different disciplines are constantly engaged whether in the work environment at “home” and during play. To facilitate interaction amongst the students of the FoHS’ Schools and to assist in teaching, learning and assessment including student mentoring, a permanent academic facilitator was appointed while each School in the FoHS provide additional facilitators to assist with the IPE weeks.
Mobile Health Clinic Service:
In collaboration with the Free State Department of Health (FSDoH) and three regional Agricultural unions, the Faculty of Health Sciences (FoHS), University of the Free State (UFS) launched a mobile
health service specifically for farming communities in the Kopanong Local Municipality, Xhariep District Municipality. The initiative forms part of the faculty’s teaching and learning platform in Kopanong, where students are placed for weekly rotation at least 36 weeks of the year. It is also an extension of the Engaged Scholarship as proposed in the Integrated Transformation Plan, and Town and Gown programme of the UFS.
Dr Ronelle Jansen is the CBE-IPE coordinator of the School of Nursing.
She also serves as the vice-chair on the Faculty Engaged Scholarship Committee (FESCO) with Dr René Botha (CBE and Rural Health coordinator) as the chair of the committee. Dr René Botha and Dr Ronelle Jansen both serve on the Community of Practice Engaged Scholarship Committee (CoPESCO) of the UFS.