How does a University respond to a clinical practitioners’ need for knowledge in a dynamic practice environment? And what factors contribute to this environment of continual change for health professionals? This presentation offer an insight into the forces shaping changes in health practice and a critical appraisal of potential responses to a dynamic practice environment. As the complexity of care offered patients and the competency needs of clinicians is constantly changing, the capacity of the education providers (both within the hospital and outside) is constrained. In hospitals there has always been a tension between ‘service’ and ‘education’. Our approach is to integrate education into the service provision of care offered by clinicians. Transforming formal learning into flexible mode offerings and using different technologies to focus on clinicians needs for knowledge application and what has been achieved to date will be discussed. Next, we will report on the clinician’s and hospital staffs response to this integrated approach to clinical learning, what have they had to say about this approach. Finally, we will offer a glimpse into the future of our ‘integrate education service model that operates in a complex bureaucratic organisation.

1. Responding to changing knowledge in
clinical practice: An Integrated education
service model for specialist clinicians.
Les Fitzgerald
Pauline Wong
John Hannon
Curriculum, Teaching & Learning Colloquium
La Trobe University, Melbourne
6-7 December 2012
1

2. Changes in the health professions
1. What has changed over the last 10 years?
2. What is the role of the university in these changes?
3. What will a health professional look like in 5 years?
4. How should flexible learning of post-graduate
professionals be designed?
2

3. The “professional”
This concept is changing
professions are more subject to change and control in the
organisation of work, and are no longer controlled by
professionals themselves (Evetts 2012).
3

4. Drivers
 pressures of new public managerialism - more with less,
resources & people
 greater audit of performance - quality & risk management
 shared professional knowledge is less stable, less
autonomous - role blending
(Fenwick, Nerland and Jensen 2012)
4

5. Impact of changes on post-graduate professional
learning
 professional work is more complex and requires integration
of different forms of expert knowledge
 the organisation of work challenges the boundaries of
professions
Today: greater opportunities for more community-based practices, multi-
disciplinary teams and cooperative work. (Evetts, 2012)
Tomorrow: moving toward multidisciplinary health practitioners and is the
University ready?
5

6. Challenges for flexible learning
 Theory practice gap: how to teach and assess
professional/clinical practice – increasing meaningfullness
 Linking learning online with clinical workshop and practice
sessions
 Industry partnership models
6

7. Futures
Flexible learning understood as opening up possibilities that
extend into social and professional worlds of learners
• learner-generated content
• peer review & co-construction
• learning communities of student/staff/practitioners
• experiential learning & assessment (crossing institutional boundaries)
• knowledge generation via placements, (virtual) exchanges
• open education resources
• mobile communication devices used as tools of trade
• flexible multiuse content
Lee, M., & McLoughlin, C. (eds.) (2010). Web 2.0-Based E-Learning
Fitzgerald, L., et al (2012) Curriculum learning designs: Teaching health assessment skills for advanced nursing practitioners through sustainable
7
flexible learning

8. References
Evetts, J. (2012) .
Professionalism in Turbulent Times: changes, challenges and opportunities .
ProPEL International Conference , May 9th-11th, Stirling Management Centre, University of
Stirling, Stirling UK
Fenwick T, Jensen K & Nerland M (2012) Sociomaterial Approaches to Conceptualising Professional
Learning, Knowledge and Practice (Introduction), Journal of Education and Work , 25 (1), pp. 1-
13.
Fitzgerald, L, Wong, P, Hannon, J, Solberg Tokerud, M, & Lyons, J. (2012). Curriculum learning
designs: Teaching health assessment skills for advanced nursing practitioners through
sustainable flexible learning. Nurse education today.(10.1016/j.nedt.2012.05.029)
.
Gherardi, S. (2001). From organizational learning to practice- based knowing. Human Relations,
54(1), 131-139.
Gherardi, Silvia. 2012. Doctor Ignorantia: professional learning at the core and at the margins of a
practice. Journal of Education and Work 25 (1), pp. 15-38
8

9. Thank you
9