Students from the University of Pretoria, School of Healthcare Sciences, led by their IHL(Integrated Health leadership) mentors, recently took part in the Community Engagement Tour. This initiative, part of the Integrated Healthcare Leadership (IHL) 120 module, is designed to prepare healthcare students for interdisciplinary collaboration by immersing them in real-world community healthcare settings.

The IHL 120 module brings together students from various healthcare disciplines—Nursing Science, Human Nutrition, Occupational Therapy, Physiotherapy, Speech-Language Pathology & Audiology, and Radiology—to learn how to work collaboratively, reflecting the growing emphasis on interprofessional education globally.

“The IHL 120 module focuses on preparing our students to work within interdisciplinary teams, which is crucial in today’s healthcare landscape,” said Molatelo Margaret Kgodane, IHL 120 Module coordinator. “By engaging with communities, our students gain practical experience that equips them with the leadership and teamwork skills they’ll need in their careers.”

As part of the module plan, students and lecturers visited six different communities across Pretoria on the 16^th August and 13^th September 2024 respectively, focusing on addressing the healthcare needs of underserved populations. Six buses transported students and 12 mentors to the following community sites:

• VIVA Foundation in Mamelodi West
• King’s Hope Foundation in Olievenhoutbosch
• Malusi community in Hercules
• Zama-Zama village in Pretoria West
• Plastic View and Cemetery View in Pretoria East

These communities, often facing significant healthcare and social challenges, provided an opportunity for students to apply what they had learned in the classroom in a real-world context.

“This type of community engagement is an essential part of our students’ education,” added Kgodane. “It allows them to see firsthand the impact of integrated healthcare, where different professionals work together to provide comprehensive care.”

The IHL 120 module is structured to build students’ knowledge across five key units, including healthcare systems, professionalism, and ethics, interprofessional team principles, community assessment, and models of care. This integrated approach ensures that students from all healthcare disciplines learn to work together effectively, breaking down professional silos and enhancing patient outcomes.”

The 2024 IHL 120 Community Engagement Tour provided valuable practical experience, and feedback from both students and community members underscored the positive impact of the initiative. Below are some of the comments from students during bus tour:

“Being part of this experience has opened our eyes to the importance of teamwork in healthcare,” “Working with other disciplines made us realise how we can complement each other’s skills to improve patient care.”

The tour also emphasised the importance of providing care to underserved communities, offering students a deeper understanding of healthcare inequalities and the role that interdisciplinary collaboration plays in addressing these challenges.

“The integration of different healthcare professions in addressing complex issues in underserved communities is a powerful way to train students in teamwork,” Kgodane concluded. “It’s these experiences that will shape them into effective healthcare providers who are prepared to make a real difference in the lives of patients.”