Ian MacIntyre (Dentistry), Laura Jewell (Health Admin.), Alison Taylor (Physiotherapy), Jennifer Egan (Human Communication Disorders), Elycia McKeand (Nursing), Ashley LeClerc (Health Sciences), Lori Walsh (Occupational Therapy)

The newly reinstated Dalhousie Health Sciences Students Association executive recently represented Dalhousie University at the National Health Sciences Students Association Conference held in Waterloo, Ontario.  The conference provided the opportunity to hear inspirational and informative speakers, teach delegates how to sustain a council at their university, watch students from the host university perform emergency situation simulations (including a birthing, car fire, ice rescue and smoke inhalation), network with other delegates, and participate in a Health Care Team Challenge, among others.  With regards to the Health Care Team Challenge, the students were given a brief overview of a patient case prior to attending the conference.  At the conference, each team offered their prognosis of the case in a brief five-minute presentation.  Once all teams had presented, the teams were provided with more information about the case and were then required to formulate a treatment plan for the patient.  The Health Care Team Challenge was an excellent interprofessional learning experience.  It gave students an opportunity to further understand the roles of various professions while learning how to collaborate to share knowledge and perspectives on patient care and communicate what they perceive as important in a respectful manner.  The executive is currently developing a proposal to be able to host an internal Dalhousie Health Care Team Challenge in early 2013.