Benefits of Interdisciplinary Learning

The world of healthcare is evolving, as should we.

Given the dynamic, evolving nature of healthcare - especially in the Allied Health space, we are finding the lines between our respective 'lanes' are continuing to blur.

Whilst some have a problem with this and the common phrase of "They should stay in their lane" is still being thrown around, I disagree.

Yes, there are certainly instances where we need to respect each professions' respective scope of practice, and acknowledge that we may not have the knowledge & experience under our belts to delve into certain areas. There are other times where we may actually find the self-pursued knowledge and passion someone from another profession has gained, can far surpass the knowledge and skill-set of those within a profession.

I'm very much of the opinion that each profession can learn a lot from each other, to evolve both our individual treatment practices and our professions as a whole.

This is something I have been a strong believer in for my entire career. Some years ago I joined Tyson Franklin on The Podiatry Legends Podcast to talk to this very topic (find it here).

The Importance of Lifelong Learning

Continuing to learn and evolve is essential for career growth and for delivering quality patient care.

It's not a ground breaking statement, that keeping up-to-date with the latest evidence & practices allows us to improve our skills & broaden our knowledge, directly translating to better patient outcomes.

Personally, I feel that areas within each profession can stagnate at times. This is normal, progress isn't linear.

At times we may find the thought leaders in one particular area have gone quiet, then months or years later we have a surge in the knowledge they're sharing.

It may be they're quiet due to working on research projects, or they're learning & applying new skills clinically - and waiting for their level of mastery to improve before sharing it with the world.

It takes time to accumulate knowledge, consolidate & synthesise the knowledge, apply the knowledge, then grow from the knowledge.

So, whilst some of your thought leaders have gone quiet, why not seek out more to learn from during this time? You'll gain more knowledge & new perspectives.

Benefits of Cross-Discipline Learning

As mentioned, embracing learning from other disciplines offers a multitude of benefits.

Firstly, it fosters a more holistic understanding of patient care and pathology management, as different professions often approach health/pathologies from unique perspectives.

eg: Plantar Fasciopathy - orthoses, footwear, rehab, load-management. Podiatry, Physiotherapy, Exercise Physiology, S&C all have different thoughts, opinions and practices on its management & risk reduction.

Moreover, learning from other disciplines can enhance our clinical problem-solving abilities, especially when we learn to look at a pathology from a different lens. This, I feel, can make us more proactive, responsive & effective clinicians.

Effective from both the perspective of improving our own clinical skills, but also in providing enhanced patient-centred care - don't underestimate the power of a good referral!

For example, "I've exhausted my knowledge and skills here, but I know that X profession/clinician has the knowledge and skills that may be able to address this further."

The Impact on Career Growth and Patient Care

When we appreciate and learn from other professions, we position ourselves for increased collaboration, either within a multi-disciplinary clinic or via our referral networks.

For our patients, this collaborative learning approach can allow the delivery of more comprehensive and coordinated approaches to their care. Resulting in improved clinical outcomes, increased client satisfaction, and overall improve the efficiency of healthcare.

Take-Aways

Whilst each health discipline may be the experts in a particular field, don't discount the knowledge and contributions other professions can make - to both a particular area of health and to our own personal & professional development.

I would say that whilst a number of mentors have been from within the podiatry profession, some of the most career-changing education & knowledge I have gained has come from those within other professions. Yet they have profoundly changed how I manage my clinical practice and some pathologies.

Who Have I Learnt From?

A number of people... However, some of the key players in my career development in recent years have been;

Ben Cormack - https://cor-kinetic.com

Chris Beardsley - https://strengthandconditioningresearch.com

Greg Lehman - https://www.greglehman.ca

Rich Willy - https://montanarunninglab.com

Michael Nitschke - SPARC (& soon-to-be player in some P3 projects)

As always, I'm keen to hear your thoughts.

How much of your CPD comes from outside of your profession? Why/why not?

Who do you look to for knowledge to evolve your clinical practice?