Healthcare Communities of Practice – An Introduction

Imagine connecting with people who understand your job and share common workplace challenges, to problem solve, experiment and build creative solutions?

As a busy healthcare professional, have you considered learning in a community of practice, to improve your own workplace? This week on The Allied Health Academy blog, we look at communities of practice as they relate to allied health, and why they’re so integral to professional development. 

What is a community of practice?

A Community of Practice refers to a group of individuals who share a common interest and interact together to improve their skills and knowledge. Through discussion and learning with peers, within trusting and collaborative relationships, important problems can be addressed for each individual. 

An existing tradition

Although the term ‘community of practice’ wasn’t formalised until the 1990s, it describes a social phenomenon where groups of people with shared interests learn with and from each other to develop their own and collective abilities. Historically groups of artists have worked together to create impressionist, surrealist and other art movements. Today, parenting groups, hobby clubs, and business associations create communities of practice where individuals communicate across different teams, functions, and organisations to learn and develop together. 

Most recently, communities of practice are emerging as a from of professional development for busy healthcare professionals. 

Distinguishing features

Two academics, Etienne and Beverly Wenger-Trayner proposed that a community of practice has three core ingredients: a domain or shared interest, a community of connected individuals and a practice of communicating and learning together. 

The domain represents a shared purpose, built on common perspectives and capabilities, which distinguishes the group from friendships or networks. 

In professional development communities of practice, participants come together from different professions and organisations, often with different job titles and experience. They are united by a focus on a specific aspect of their work. 

The community establishes joint activities for members to share ideas, help each other and build relationships. These activities can take place in person or virtually, at the same time or asynchronously. 

Participants in professional development communities of practice usually meet regularly to discuss, problem solve and learn more about key issues that impact their daily work. 

The practice requires more than just interest. It is usually focused on how the members share knowledge and support each other’s learning. 

Participants in professional development communities of practice usually share and receive information across a range of activities, such as posing questions after listening to a webinar, and sharing case scenarios for group discussion. 

How does a community of practice support professional development?

A community of practice can be a practical way for healthcare professionals to share and learn from each other’s experiences, insights, and practice. They can support sharing and creating knowledge, problem solving, promoting best practice and facilitating innovation. 

As an example, the Allied Health Assistant CPD Community of Practice is established within The Allied Health Academy, as an interactive, comprehensive program that offers a flexible learning environment to enhance members’ professional skills and knowledge. 

Here are some examples of five key professional development activities that have been included in this community of practice.

Sharing and creating knowledge

Members create collective knowledge and collate practical resources, such as research papers, tools, and learning materials about a particular area. This enables individuals to choose the tools they need to build their own understanding and skills. 

Allied Health Assistants who are subscribed to the online Community of Practice can participate in monthly webinars which cover key areas of professional development such as patient care, communication, healthcare technology, and regulatory compliance. They can also access a wide range of online case studies and communication toolkits to apply their learning directly to their workplace. Many of these resources have been developed by local and international peers to reflect real practice scenarios.

Problem solving 

Members participate in virtual or real collaborative problem-solving and creative idea generation around common challenges. Using group feedback and insights, improvement strategies can be developed and refined. 

Through discussions and shared learning, Allied Health Assistants build a common sense of identity from which to identify and explore important issues. The real work scenarios help individuals imagine clients, situations and responses that they can actually practice and apply.

Promoting best practice

Members support a culture of continuous learning and improvement, and keep up to date with industry trends, emerging technologies, and new models of care. 

Through networking and collaborating, Allied Health Assistants can increase their visibility, advocacy and influence across different practice areas, such as aged care, inpatient, mental health, private practice and paediatric practice. They can create a comprehensive and informed perspective on healthcare through exposure to health issues and practices from their international peers.

Facilitating innovation

Members foster an environment of creativity and innovation around important challenges, by connecting diverse perspectives and expertise, and creating new ideas, approaches, or solutions that individuals may not have conceived alone.

Allied Health Assistants learn from global best practices, innovative strategies, and unique case studies to cultivate a spirit of entrepreneurship. They are actively supported to develop and share innovative ideas.

Promote individual professional growth

Within communities of practice, individuals gain support from peers, mentors, and experts, to enhance their professional identity, confidence and reputation within their field.

As Allied Health Assistants reflect on their practice and apply their capabilities directly to address practical issues in their own workplace, they increase their visibility and influence in their own workplace. These networks can also foster potential collaborations, job opportunities, and mentorships.

Your next steps

Now that you know how communities of practice can work, are you curious about connecting with people who understand your job and some of your key challenges?

What if you could learn from each other, as you try out different strategies and build on each other’s mistakes. Over time, you could actually improve on a situation that has been bothering you for some time. Perhaps you could also consider this to be part of your continuing professional development.

The Allied Health Academy hosts a number of communities of practice on its platform catering to the full spectrum of allied health disciplines and professions, including allied health assistants and advanced clinical practitioners. For more information about The Allied Health Academy platform, contact us today.