University of Medicine 2, Yangon

Learner’s Guide for

Interprofessional education
 Course Description
Inter-professional education (IPE) day activity is intended to initiate the understanding of the
concept of IPE and IPE core competencies by the year one students in health professional education.
The students from University of Medicine 2, Yangon, University of Dental Medicine, Yangon,
University of Medical Technology, Yangon and University of Pharmacy, Yangon will learn and
work together during the IPE day activity. The activity involve the group activity and reflective
report by individual students on the experience on the IPE day.

Expected Learning Outcomes

1. Understand the process of team development and the roles and practices of effective
teams.
2. Reflect on individual and team performance for individual, as well as team,
performance improvement.
3. Choose effective communication tools and techniques, including information systems
and communication technologies, to facilitate discussions and interactions that
enhance team function.
4. Attentive listening, and encourage ideas and opinions of other team members.

Students from each university will be divided into three groups

a. University of Medicine 2
b. University of Dental Medicine
c. University of Medical Technology and each group will be supervised by the
facilitators from respective universities.
Learning activity
Pre-reading
1. IPE Core Competencies
2. Roles and Responsibilities of Healthcare professionals
IPE-Day
1. Lecture on
a. How to prepare e-poster
b. Reflective writing
 2. Group Activity-
a. Preparation of e-poster on assigned topics
b. Presentation of e-poster to all the students (Presentation will be judge by the panel of
teachers)
3. Reflective report writing (300 words)

Responsibilities of the students

1. Must arrive on time (7:45 am) at the front of Golden Jubilee building to go to University
of Dental Medicine and University of Medical Technology.
2. Must report to the assigned teachers on their arrival.
3. Must wear student identity card and Duty coats and dress appropriately
4. Do not leave the campus without reporting to the assigned teachers
5. Read the learner’ guide thoroughly before the IPE day
6. Active participation in the group activity
Introduction
The World Health Organization (WHO) presented a framework for implementing IPE and
collaborative practice, and that outlined the cohort of students trained inter-professionally in
becoming a team of health workforce ready for collaborative practice. The benefits of IPE and
collaborative care is proven to bring about patient satisfaction, shorter hospital stay, and less adverse
events. IPE training followed by deployment to sanctioned posts for collaborative care is in fact
crucial especially for Myanmar for the provision of health workforce which is service ready and could
deliver quality services to attain the UHC.

Figure (1): The World Health Organization presented a framework for implementing IPE and
collaborative practice
The figure above depicts how students of different professions by learning about, from, and with each
other would enable effective collaboration and improve health outcomes. Changes in health
professional education should be in accordance with the local context and local health needs to
effectively contribute to restructuring processes of the health care system. As the practice of IPE been
expanded and its value recognized over the years, there is a renewed vigor and motivation for adopting
IPE in the health professional training in the institutions around the world, and an appearance of
 regional and global network, journals and website devoting particularly to the inter professional
learning.

Definition of Inter-professional Education (IPE)

Inter-professional Education occurs when two or more professions learn about, from and with each
other to enable effective, collaborative and improved health outcomes. IPE is meant for both
educators and learners from 2 or more health professions, and as the foundational disciplines, they
should jointly create and foster a collaborative learning environment. Training and involvement of
educators is key to the effectiveness of the program as they are the one who are responsible for
preparing students of the health profession to work together, with a common goal of building a safer
and better patient-centered, population-oriented health care system.

Inter-Professional Education (IPE) Competencies

The WHO framework outlined 4 competency domains:

• values/ethics of inter-professional practice
• roles and responsibilities
• inter-professional communication
• teams and teamwork.
It also included a set of 38 competency statements describing knowledge, skills, and attitudes
necessary for demonstrating inter-professionalism.

IPE Core Competencies

2. Values and Ethics

Values and ethics are important in the workplace to promote positive personal and
interpersonal behaviors, to uphold fundamental responsibilities and accountabilities; and to
continuously improve and enhance upon excellence and professionalism (OTTAWA board of
trade, 2014). In the health care setting, value and ethics are the most important issues for patient
care. Historically, the four principles of Beauchamp and Childress - autonomy, non-
maleficence, beneficence and justice - have been extremely influential in the field of medical
ethics, and are fundamental for understanding the current approach to ethical assessment in
health care.

Every health care professional should apply the principles of value and ethics of respective
profession when dealing with patients and their families and when providing care with utmost
 consideration to rights and auton-omy of the patients. It is important to understand and respect
obligations and fairness for benefits of patients and family members. To attain the value and
ethics competency, following ten sub-competencies are needed to be fulfilled.

1. Respect the dignity and privacy of patients while maintaining confidentiality in the
delivery of team-based care.
2. Embrace the cultural diversity and individual differences that characterize patients,
populations, and the health team.
3. Respect the unique cultures, values, roles/responsibilities, and expertise of other
health professions and the impact these factors can have on health outcomes.
4. Work in cooperation with those who receive care, those who provide care,
and others who contribute to or support the delivery of prevention and health
services and programs.
5. Develop a trusting relationship with patients, families, and other team members
6. Demonstrate high standards of professionalism and ethics and quality of care in
contributions to team-based care
7. Manage ethical dilemmas specific to Inter-professional patient/ population centered
care situations.
8. Act with honesty and integrity in relationships with patients, families, communities,
and other team members.
9. Maintain competence in one’s own profession appropriate to scope of practice.

3. Roles and Responsibilities

It is important to use the knowledge of one’s own role and those of other professions to
appropriately assess and address the health care needs of patients and to promote and advance the
health of populations. To attain the competency in roles and functions, following sub-
competencies are needed to be fulfilled.

The identification of roles and functions of own and other health professionals prepares students,
preceptors, and faculty for inter-professional practice, and know exactly what is expected out of
each member of the team in actual practice. Consequently, we believe that the utilization of this
key IPE competency will contribute to the development of programs that include specific
knowledge and skills related to inter-professional education.
It is not only important to recognize one’s limitations in skills, knowledge and abilities but also
acknowledge strengths and comparative advantages of each profession. As diseases and health
problems related to animals and environ-ment "One Health Approach" is becoming more relevant,
thus “Animal Health and Plant Health” will need to be con-sidered when planning IPE and IPCP
programs.

Reference roles and functions of health workforce cadres (Medical doctors, Dentists, Pharmacists,
Medical Technologists, Nurses, Midwives, Health Assistants, Public Health Supervisors 1 & 2,
Lady Health Visitors) in Myanmar context, as stipulated by the Ministry of Health and Sports, are
cited in next chapter.

When working together as a health team, it is important that each member of the team should be able
to -

1. Communicate one’s roles and responsibilities clearly to patients, families, community

members, and other professionals.
2. Recognize one’s limitations in skills, knowledge, and abilities.
3. Engage diverse professionals who complement one’s own professional expertise, as well
as associated resources, to develop strategies to meet specific health and healthcare needs
of patients and populations.
4. Explain the roles and responsibilities of other providers and how the team works together
to provide care, promote health, and prevent disease.
5. Use the full scope of knowledge, skills, and abilities of professionals from health and other
fields to pro-vide care that is safe, timely, efficient, effective, and equitable.
6. Communicate with team members to clarify each member’s responsibility in executing
components of a treatment plan or public health intervention.
7. Forge interdependent relationships with other professions within and outside of the health
system to improve care and advance learning.
8. Engage in continuous professional and inter professional development to enhance team
performance and collaboration.
9. Use unique and complementary abilities of all members of the team to optimize health and
patient care.
10. Describe how health professionals and other professional domains can be collaborated and

integrated into clinical care and public health interventions to optimize population health.
4. Inter-professional Communication

The medical universities in Myanmar recently introduced an integrated outcome based curriculum
in alignment with the standard of ACGME (Accreditation Committee for Graduate Medical
Education) and that includes competency in communication skills. As there is a paradigm shift in
health care driven by globalization and explosion of knowledge, experts know more and more
about less and less, and team work becomes more important than individual effort because no one
can be perfect in every aspect.

Poor communication is cited as a main cause of poor patient outcomes and errors in healthcare, and
clear communication can be especially critical during transitions such as discharge. Inter-
professional communication which is clear, concise and gives space and time for questions,
improving and practicing communication skills may lead to reductions in healthcare errors and
readmissions, and may decrease the length of hospital-stay and improve satisfac-tion of care teams.
Therefore, Inter-professional communication is crucial for collaborative practice among multiple
health workers from different professional backgrounds. To attain the inter-professional
communication competency, following sub-competencies are needed to be fulfilled.
1. Communicate information with patients, families, community members, and health team
members in a form that is understandable, avoiding discipline-specific terminology and
jargon when possible.
2. Express one’s knowledge and opinions to team members involved in patient care and
population health improvement with confidence, clarity, and respect, working to ensure
common understanding of information, treatment, care decisions, and population health
programs and policies.
3. Attentive listening, and encourage ideas and opinions of other team members.
4. Give timely, specific and constructive feedback to others about their performance on the
team, respond-ing respectfully as a team member to feedback from others.
5. Use respectful language appropriate for a given difficult situation, crucial conversation,
taking conflict sensitivity approaches.
6. Recognize how one’s uniqueness (experience level, expertise, culture, power, and
hierarchy within the health team) contributes to effective communication, conflict
resolution, and positive inter professional working relationships (University of Toronto,
2008).
7. Communicate the importance of teamwork in patient-centered care and population health
 programs and policies.

5. Teams and Teamwork

The World Health Organization defines team as “multiple health workers from different
professional backgrounds work together with patients, families, carers (caregivers), and
communities to deliver the highest quality of care.” Teams would have representations from
different disciplines such as medicine, dentistry, nursing, pharmacy, medical technology, public
health and other related professions. Team based care renders efficiency and effectiveness in
healthcare delivery, and that requires empowering team members, closing the communication
gaps, and promoting the team mentality. To attain the team competency, following sub-
competencies are needed to be fulfilled.

1. Understand the process of team development and the roles and practices of effective
teams.
2. Build consensus on the ethical principles to guide all aspects of team work.
3. Engage health and other professionals in shared patient-centered and population-
focused problem-solving.
4. Integrate the knowledge and experience of health and other professions to
inform health care decisions, while respecting patient and community values and
priorities/preferences for care.
5. Apply leadership practices that support collaborative practice and team effectiveness.
6. Engage self and others to constructively manage disagreements about values, roles,
goals, and actions that arise among health and other professionals and with patients,
families, and community members.
7. Share accountability with other professions, patients, and communities for outcomes
relevant to prevention and health care.
8. Reflect on individual and team performance for individual, as well as team,
performance improvement.
9. Use process improvement to increase effectiveness of inter-professional teamwork
and team-based services, programs, and policies.
10. Use available evidence to inform effective teamwork and team-based practices.
11. Perform effectively on teams and in different team roles in a variety of settings
 Roles and Functions of Health Workforce cadres

1. Roles and Responsibilities of Medical Doctor

Medical Doctors should be scientist, professional and practitioner, who perform health assessments,
order diagnostic tests, prescribe medication, create treatment plans and provide health and wellness
advice to patients. Doctors make an important contribution to the management and leadership of
health services and the delivery of healthcare as part of a multidisciplinary team. All doctors have
some responsibilities for using resources; many will also lead teams or be involved in supervising
colleagues. To do so, students should be trained to be able to
1. Engage with colleagues to maintain and improve the safety and quality of patient care.
2. Contribute to discussions and decisions about improving the quality of services and
outcomes.
3. Raise and act on concerns about patient safety.
4. Demonstrate effective team working and leadership.
5. Promote a working environment free from unfair discrimination, bullying and
harassment, bearing in mind that colleagues and patients come from diverse
backgrounds.
6. Contribute to teaching and training doctors and other healthcare professionals, including
by acting as a positive role model.
7. Use resources efficiently for the research and benefit of patients and public.

2. Roles and Responsibilities of Dentist

Dentist is a person who is qualified to treat diseases and other conditions that affect the teeth and
gums, especially the repair and extraction of teeth and the insertion of artificial ones. There are public
health dentists, school health dentists, hospital-based dentists, specialist dentists. To become a dentist,
students should be trained to be able to
 1. deliver patient care and services unrestricted to concerns of personal attributes or the
nature of the disease or illness
2. have a broad academic background in medical and dental sciences
3. be competent to display appropriate professional behavior towards all members of the
health care team

3. Roles and Responsibilities of Nurses in clinical settings

Nurses work together across disciplines to help other professionals for development of inter-
professional communication, collaboration, and team work. After graduation, nurses should have
the following roles and functions-
1. Care giver
2. Communicator
3. Collaborator
4. Educator
5. Counselor
6. Patient Advocacy
Caregiver
As a caregiver, a nurse provides hands-on care to patients who are in physical need, which can
range from total care (doing everything for someone) to helping a patient with illness prevention.
The nurse maintains a patient's dignity while providing knowledgeable, skilled care.
Holistic care emphasizes that nurses also address psychosocial, developmental, cultural, and
spiritual needs. The role of caregiver includes all of the tasks and skills related to nursing care,
and also other elements that make up the whole person.

Decision Maker
Another role of the nurse, as a decision maker, is to use critical thinking skills to make decisions,
set goals, and pro-mote outcomes for a patient. Assessing the patient, identifying the problems,
planning and implementing interven-tions, and evaluating the outcomes. A nurse uses clinical
judgment - his or her ability to discern what is best for the patient - to determine the best course
of action for the patient.

Communicator
The nurse understands that effective communication can help improve health outcome. Barriers
to effective communication can inhibit the healing process. The nurse has to communicate
effectively with the patient and family members as well as other members of the healthcare team.
In addition, the nurse is responsible for written communication, or patient charting, which is a key
component to continuity of care.

Manager of Care
The nurse works with other healthcare workers as the manager of care and ensures that the
patient's care is cohesive. The nurse directs and coordinates care by both professionals and
nonprofessionals to confirm that a patient's goals are being met. The nurse is also responsible for
continuity of care from the moment a patient enters the hospital till discharged. This may even
include overseeing home care instructions. For nurses in the hospital setting, the nurse is
responsible for prioritizing and managing the care of multiple patients at the same time, which
adds another dimen-sion to this process.

Patient Advocacy
The patient is the first priority of the nurse. The role of the nurse is to advocate for the best interests
of the patient and to maintain the patient’s dignity throughout treatment and care. This may include
making suggestions in the treatment plan of patients, in collaboration with other health
professionals. This is particularly important because patients who are unwell are often unable to
comprehend medical situations and act as they usually would. It is the role of the nurse to support
the patient and represent the patient’s best interests at all times, especially when treat-ment
decisions are being made.
Counselor
As a counselor, nurses work effectively alongside professionals from other disciplines, they need
to be educated about the value of collaborative practice and the roles, responsibilities, and
expertise that they bring to inter-professional teams.

Coordinator/ Collaborator
For so many patients and their family members, hospitalization can be overwhelming, but the
nurse care coordinator is an advocate for the patient and their loved ones. The nurse care
coordinator assists the patient by providing sup-port and helping them navigate the medical
system to get the care and treatment they need to prevent hospital re-admission.

Researcher
Nurse have a role as a scientist who study various aspects of health, illness and health care. Identify
research ques-tions, design and conduct scientific studies, collect and analyze data and report their
 findings and explore ways to im-prove health, health care services and health care outcomes. Many
teach in academic or clinical settings and often write articles and research reports for nursing,
medical and other professional journals and publications. Nurse researchers often partner with
scientists in other fields, such as pharmacy, nutrition, medicine and engineering, to better address
complex questions and problems.

Educator
Nurses also are responsible for teaching patients about preventing and managing medical
conditions. By relaying information, nurses help patients take control of their healthcare. Patient
education is a significant part of a nurse's job. Education empowers patients to improve their health
status. When patients are involved in their care, they are more likely to engage in interventions
that may increase their chances for positive outcomes. Effective patient educa-tion starts from the
time patients are admitted to the hospital and continues until they are discharged. Nurses should
take advantage of any appropriate opportunity throughout a patient's stay to teach the patient about
self-care.

4. Roles and Responsibilities of Medical Laboratory Technologist

A Medical Technologist is in charge of preparing and analyzing the results of blood and bodily
fluids. They are highly-skilled professionals mostly work in hospitals and independent
laboratories. They provide information for patient diagnosis and treatment by performing
laboratory tests in molecular pathology, histopathology, chemical pathology, hematology,
immunology, and microbiology laboratories; receiving, typing, testing, blood banking and
recording blood bank inventories. To be able do so, students should be trained to have
competencies in
1. Professional Responsibility and Ethics
2. Professional Laboratory Skills and Safe Work Practices
3. Critical Thinking, Problem Solving and Decision Making Skills
4. Communication, Teamwork and Interactive Skills
5. Instrumentation and Computer Skills
6. Leadership and Management
7. Teaching, Training and Continuing Education Responsibilities
8. Research
9. Quality Assurance

Professional responsibilities and Ethics

 • Meets the legal and ethical requirements of practice.
• Projects a professional image and follows generally accepted practices
regarding interactions with patients/clients and colleagues.
• Values her/his position in the health care team and exhibits empathy and
understanding in the care of the patient.
• Respects patient’s right to a reasonable standard of care by
maintaining patient confidentiality at all times.

Professional laboratory skills and safe work practice

• Conducts professional practice according to established protocols, safety
guidelines, and hospital guidelines.
• Demonstrates proficiency in the specimen collection & handling.
• Applies the principles of clinical laboratory methodology by performing
simple and complex procedures with precision and accuracy.
• Verifies relevant data and ensures that appropriate specimen is collected
according to established protocols.
• Analyzes specimen and validates results using established protocols.
• Understands the principles and performs analytical techniques on specimen that originate
from variety of sources.
• Demonstrate the ability to organize and perform multiple procedures routine
and non-routine situations.
• Interprets, communicates and documents confidential data using scientific
knowledge as the basis.
• Applies the principles of disease prevention and control to health promotion
in their role as partners in the delivery of public health services.
• Practices and promotes quality management system and the efficient utilization of
resources.

Critical thinking, Problem solving and Decision making Skills

• Demonstrates ability to solve problems and make decisions in the management
of his/her own workload, the workload of the team and in interactions with
patients/clients and other members of the health care team.
• Evaluates and solves problems related to collection and processing of
biological specimen for analysis.
• Differentiates and resolves technical, instrument, physiological causes
of problems or unexpected test results.
Communication, Team work and Interactive Skills
• Interacts with patients/clients and laboratory colleagues in a professional
and competent manner using effective listening, verbal and non-verbal and
written communication.
• Interacts with others in groups or teams in ways that contribute to
effective working relationships and the achievement of goals.
• Exhibits care and compassion in direct and indirect contact with patients.

Instrumentation and Computer Skills

• Demonstrates proficiency in the mathematical computation of laboratory methodology.
• Applies the principles of clinical laboratory instrumentation, including
performance and preventive maintenance.
• Uses computer skills to manage efficiently using available software
packages and LIMS (laboratory information management systems).

Leadership and Management

• Exercises leadership when placed in an environment or situation which requires it.
• Applies the basic principles of management to ensure the efficient and
effective delivery of laboratory information in the provision of quality health
care.
• Gives direction and guidance to technical support personnel.

Teaching, Training and Continuing Education Responsibilities

• Provides instruction in theory, technical skills safety protocols and application of
laboratory test procedures.
• Supports and seeks continuing professional education.

Research
• Carry out experimental designs for sponsored research projects and
perform routine experiments.
• Record and compile accurate records and communicate summaries of experimental results.
• Assist with the evaluation, interpretation and assessment of experimental
data and quality control of assays.
• Participate in meetings with principal investigator and research staff and
evaluate/interpret the validity of data as needed.
• Carry out assigned duties for ordering and maintaining supply of inventories.
 • Operate, calibrate and perform routine maintenance on specialized
equipment used in research.
• Prepare media and maintain cells by various culturing in techniques.
• Oversee daily lab operation in the absence of the supervisor or Principle Investigator.

Quality Assurance
• Serves as the coordinator for the subspecialty operations within the clinical laboratory.
• Provides continued support for new procedures after implementation into
routine diagnostic practice.
 Provides specialized technical leadership to the Medical Technologists as
the Manager’s designee.
• Routinely performs a wide range of clinical analyses in all sections of the
laboratory by properly utilizing a variety of methodologies and instrumentation.
• Adheres to and assists in enforcing policies and procedures to assure results of the
highest level of quali-ty to physicians and their patients.
• Provides support of specialized projects and implementations. Maintains
the laboratory’s Quality Management plan.

5. Roles and Responsibilities of Pharmacists

A pharmacist is involved in providing effective health care beginning from raw materials
selection, manufacturing qualified pharmaceutical products, providing safe and effective
medicines according to prescriber’s prescription and also pharmaceutical care (drug related
counseling) and post-marketing surveillances. They are highly-skilled professionals mostly
work in pharmaceutical industries, Department of food and drug administration, Research and
development center, community pharmacies and hospitals. To be able fulfill these roles and
responsibilities, students should be trained to have competencies in.
1. Professional Responsibility and Ethics
2. Good manufacturing practice
3. Critical Thinking, Problem Solving and Decision Making Skills
4. Communication, Teamwork and Interactive Skills
5. Good clinical practice
6. Leadership and management
7. Teaching, Training and Continuing Education Responsibilities
8. Research
9. Quality Assurance
Professional Responsibility and Ethics
• Meets the legal and ethical requirements of practice.
• Projects a professional image and follows generally accepted practices regarding
interactions with patients/clients and colleagues.
• Values her/his position in the health care team and exhibits empathy and understanding
in the care of the patient.
• Respects patient’s right to a reasonable standard of care by maintaining patient
confidentiality at all times.

Good manufacturing practice

• Manufacturing facilities must maintain a clean and hygienic manufacturing area.
• Manufacturing facilities must maintain controlled environmental conditions in order
to prevent cross-contamination from adulterants and allergens that may render the product
unsafe for human consumption or use.
• Manufacturing processes must be clearly defined and controlled. All critical processes are
validated to ensure consistency and compliance with specifications.
• Manufacturing processes must be controlled, and any changes to the process must be
evaluated. Chang-es that affect the quality of the drug are validated as necessary.
• Instructions and procedures must be written in clear and unambiguous language using
good documentation practices.
• Operators must be trained to carry out and document procedures.
• Records must be made, manually or electronically, during manufacture that demonstrate
that all the steps required by the defined procedures and instructions were in fact taken
and that the quantity and quality of the food or drug was as expected. Deviations must be
investigated and documented.
• Records of manufacture (including distribution) that enable the complete history of a batch
to be traced must be retained in a comprehensible and accessible form.
• Any distribution of products must minimize any risk to their quality.
• A system must be in place for recalling any batch from sale or supply.
• Complaints about marketed products must be examined, the causes of quality defects must
be investigated, and appropriate measures must be taken with respect to the defective
products and to prevent recurrence.
Critical Thinking, Problem Solving and Decision Making Skills
• Demonstrates ability to solve problems and make decisions in the management of his/her
own work-load, the workload of the team and in interactions with patients/clients and other
members of the health care team.
• Evaluates and solves problems related to pharmacy professional practices

Communication, Teamwork and Interactive Skills

• Interacts with patients/clients and other colleagues in a professional and competent
manner using effective listening, verbal and non-verbal and written communication.
• Interacts with others in groups or teams in ways that contribute to effective working
relationships and the achievement of goals.
• Exhibits care and compassion in direct and indirect contact with patients and customers.

Good Clinical Practice

• Conducting clinical trials according to GCP by The International Council for
Harmonization of Technical Requirements for Pharmaceuticals for Human Use, an
international body that defines a set of standards, which governments can then transpose
into regulations for clinical trials involving human subjects.
• Comprehensive documentation for the clinical protocol, record keeping, training, and
facilities, including computers and software.
• Ensure quality assurance and inspections for the clinical studies to be scientific and
authentic.
• Consider human rights for the subjects and volunteers in a clinical trials and provide
assurance of the safety and efficacy of the newly developed compounds.

Leadership and Management

• Exercises leadership when placed in an environment or situation which requires it.
• Applies the basic principles of management to ensure the efficient and effective delivery
of laboratory in-formation in the provision of quality health care.
• Gives direction and guidance to technical support personnel.

Teaching, Training and Continuing Education Responsibilities

• Provides instruction in theory, technical skills safety protocols and application of good
manufacturing practices and good clinical practices.
• Supports and seeks continuing professional education.
 Research
• Carry out experimental designs for sponsored research projects and perform routine
experiments.
• Record and compile accurate records and communicate summaries of experimental results.
• Assist with the evaluation, interpretation and assessment of experimental data and
quality control of assays.
• Participate in meetings with principal investigator and research staff and
evaluate/interpret the validity of data as needed.
• Carry out assigned duties for ordering and maintaining supply of inventories.
• Operate, calibrate and perform routine maintenance on specialized equipment used in
research.

Quality Assurance
• Work through plan, do, check, act cycle in an established QMS framework
• Implement a quality management system for own pharmacy job setting
• Prepare quality assurance procedure to be auditable

6. Roles and responsibilities of Medical Imaging Technologist, Radiation

Therapist Technologist, and Ultrasonographer

The medical imaging technologists are university trained health professionals. They used x-ray,
CT, MRI, ultrasound, fluoroscopy, angiography to produce images which are used by clinical
radiologist and doctors for diagnosis of the disease, treating the patients and monitoring during
the radiology procedures.
There are varieties of diagnostic and interventional radiology procedures, they are X-ray,
ultrasound, mammography, ultrasonography, CT, MRI, radiotherapy and nuclear medicine. The
medical technologist gives the right instructions and prepare positioning of the patient to have
high-quality diagnostic images and radiologist can read easily high qual-ity images and draw
conclusions.

6.1 Medical Imaging Technologists

Medical Imaging Technologists are responsible for the outcome of the diagnostic imaging
examination. The outcome of the examination is recorded electronically to allow for consultation
with other health and medical practitioners. Medical Imaging Technologists produce high quality
diagnostic radiographs or carry out diagnostic procedures using ionising radiation. With
appropriate training, Medical Imaging Technologists may practice computed tomography (CT),
mammography, and angiography. Medical Imaging Technologists evaluate the diagnostic quality
 of images and take corrective measures as required. Medical Imaging Technologists
competencies include, but are not limited to, patient care, patient positioning, imaging physics
and technology, anatomy and physiology identification and assessment, bio-effects and radiation
safety, clinical and organizational responsibility for the examination, and quality assurance.

6.2 Radiation Therapists

Radiation Therapists are responsible for the planning and delivery of radiation treatment,
primarily for people diagnosed with cancer. Radiation Therapists create and evaluate images for
the localization, planning and delivery of radiation treatment according to the prescription of the
Radiation Oncologist. Radiation Therapists provide specific care to patients throughout the
course of their treatment and educate patients on the management of any treatment related side-
effects. Radiation Therapists’ competencies include, but are not limited to, patient care, treatment
design and delivery, radiation safety, clinical and organizational responsibility for the planning
and treatment, and quality assurance.

6.3 Sonographers

Sonographers are responsible for the outcome of the diagnostic ultrasound examination. The
outcome of the examination is recorded electronically to allow for consultation with other health
and medical practitioners. Sonographers perform a wide range of real-time diagnostic
examinations and may at their discretion (and in accord-ance with clinical and workplace
guidelines) extend the examination to include relevant regions and/or sequences not suggested in
the referral. Sonographers’ competencies include, but are not limited to, patient care, ultrasound
physics and technology, anatomy and physiology identification and assessment, diagnostic
interpretation of the ultrasound findings, bio-effects and the use of ultrasound technology, clinical
and organizational responsibility for the examination, and quality assurance.

Competent medical imaging technologist should have ability to practice medical imaging
technique or therapy safely and effectively, and for that students should be trained to have
competency in
1. the practitioner’s qualifications
2. clinical experience
3. professional development
 4. his/her ability to integrate knowledge, skills, attitudes, values and judgements within a
practice setting
5. supporting and facilitating professional and inter-professional practice.

7. Roles and Responsibilities of a Physiotherapist

Physiotherapists (PTs) are health care professionals who diagnose and treat individuals of all
ages, from newborns to the very oldest, who have medical problems or other health-related
conditions that limit their abilities to move and perform functional activities in their daily lives.
They examine each individual and develop a plan using treatment technique to promote the
ability to move, reduce pain, restore function, and prevent disability. In addition, PTs work with
individuals to prevent the loss of mobility before it occurs by developing fitness- and wellness-
oriented programs for healthier and more active lifestyles. Students should be trained to have
competencies in
1. Professional Responsibility and Ethics
2. Professional Skills and Safe Work Practices
3. Critical Thinking, Problem Solving and Decision Making
4. Communication, Teamwork and Interactive Skills
5. Leadership and Management
6. Teaching, Training and Continuing Education Responsibilities
7. Research

Professional Responsibility and Ethics

 Meets the legal and ethical requirements of practice.
 Projects a professional image and follows generally accepted practices
regarding interactions with patients/clients and other health care professionals.
 Values her/his position in the health care team and exhibits empathy and
understanding in the care of the patient.
 Respects patient’s right to a reasonable standard of care by maintaining patient
confidentiality at all times.

Professional Skills of a Physiotherapist and Safe Work Practices

 Provides direct patient care in a variety of settings.
 Develops standards for physiotherapist practice.
 Works in collaboration with other health care professionals.
 Applies the principles to conducts an analysis of ergonomics at the work site
 and perform a functional capacity evaluation.
 Applies principles to provide services designed to prevent, limit, or reduce pain
and dysfunction of people.
 Applies the principles to involve in health promotion and wellness activities, both as
consultants for establishment of programs and as providers of health care on site or in a
health-related facility.
 Interprets, communicates and documents confidential data using scientific knowledge as
the basis.
 Practices and promotes quality management system and the efficient utilization of
resources.

Critical Thinking, Problem Solving and Decision Making

 Demonstrates ability to question logically; identify, generate, and evaluate elements of
logical
argument; recognize and differentiate facts, appropriate or faulty inferences, and
assumptions; and distinguish relevant from irrelevant information.
 Demonstrates ability to appropriately utilize, analyze, and critically evaluate scientific
evidence to devel-op a logical argument, and to identify and determine the impact of bias
on the decision-making process.
 Identifies and defines problems, analyzes data, develops and implements solutions, and
evaluates outcomes of patients/clients.
 Demonstrates ability to solve problems and make decisions in the management of his/her
own work-load, the workload of the team and in interactions with patients/clients and other
members of the health care team.
Communication, Teamwork and Interactive Skills
 Interacts with patients/clients, colleagues and other health care members in a professional
and competent manner using effective listening, verbal and non-verbal and written
communication.
 Interacts effectively with patients, families, colleagues, other health care professionals,
and the community in a culturally aware manner that contribute to effective working
relationships and the achievement of goals.
 Exhibits care and compassion in contact with patients and their family members.

Leadership and Management

 Exercises leadership when placed in an environment or situation which requires it.
 Applies the basic principles of management to ensure the efficient and
effective delivery of physiotherapy information in the provision of quality
health care.
 Teaching, Training and Continuing Education Responsibilities
 Provides instruction in self-direct learning to include the identification of needs
and sources of learning; and to continually seek and apply new knowledge,
behaviors, and skills.

Research
 Carries out experimental designs for sponsored research projects and
perform routine experiments.
 Records and compiles accurate records and communicate summaries of experimental
results.
 Assists with the evaluation, interpretation and assessment of experimental
data and quality control of assays.
 Participates in meetings with principal investigator and research staff and
evaluate/interpret the validity of data as needed.

8. Roles and Functions of Health Assistant

The roles and functions of Health Assistants can be divided into four components.
• Administrative function
• Public health fiction
• Disease control
• Medical care

Administrative functions:
1. HA is in-charge of the Rural Health Centre and ministers the clinic, laboratory
and ell fare of the general administration of staff housing at the RHC.
2. Ensure the all staff follows the civil service lies and regulations.
3. Maintains functionality of infrastructure, equipment and re-orders replace meant.
4. Keep the RHC compound green and clean
 5. Puts up maps and charts mentioning, geographic profile, rods, transportation, rail road,
school, organogram, demographic data, EPI program, water and sanitation information,
health indicators of catchment area, HE posters.
6. Keep records, patient registers, standing orders from MOHS and letters in a file.
7. Monthly reports are systematically filed and sends out monthly reports on time.
8. Keeps Life-Death register
9. Keeps track of medicines and supplies, financial book keeping and administers to reports
and returns.
10. Manages waste disposal as per guidelines.

Administration of Mobile Services and outreach.

• Administers and regulates HA and MW’s community outreach and mobile services.
 Reports to Township Medical Officer on community on outreach program of staff and
none-ozone-compliance of staff rules.
Public Health Functions
• Develops public health program together with community and implements and supervises the
activities.
• Conducts maternal, newborn, and child development, reproductive health programs, School
health, environmen-tal sanitation, primary dental and oral health programs, occupational
health, food and drug safety and admin-istration, health promotion activities.

Medical Care Function

• Together with Lady Health Visitor provide medical care at the RHC primary clinic.
• Ensures all people receives Basic Essential Package of Health Services (EPHS)
• Provides medical within one’s training ad responsibility
• Refers patient to a higher level of services as required.
• For criminal cases , HA provides first aid care and refers to higher level.
• For snake bite patients HA provides initial Anti Snake Venom (ASV) and refers to relevant
health facility.

9. Roles and Functions of Lady Health Visitor (LHV)

• Administrative function
• Public health function
• Disease control
• Medical care
 Administrative functions
• LHV supports and works together with HA in a RHC.

Public health function

• The LHV constantly supervises the work of the Midwife and the Auxiliary Midwife in
public health and medical care in clinic as well as outreach work.
• Reproductive and family planning programs, Maternal newborn and child health,
lease nutrition program, EPI, Birth/ Death registration, health promotion functions.

Disease control
• LHV conducts the following disease control work, prevention and control of highly
contagious and communicable diseases.
• Elimination of program diseases.
• Administrative support to emergency health situations.
• None- communicable diseases.

Medical clinic care

• Coordinates with HA in community outreach, take turns to man the clinic.
• Ensures cleanliness of clinic and its vicinity
• Ensure Basic EPHS is delivered and medicines and supplies are available.
• Track suppers and keep patient registry.

Obligatory functions when MW is on long leave, vacant or undergoing training

• Antenatal Care
• Delivery and Child birth
• Immunization

10. Roles and Functions of Midwife

The Midwife is mainly responsible for health care of maternal, newborn and under five children.

MW’s primary functions are

• Antenatal care, intra partum care and postnatal care
• Newborn and under five children’s health care
• Reproductive health care
• Nutrition functions
 • Expanded Immunization
• Clinical care
• Birth/death registration

Functions to be conducted collaboratively

• School health
• Contagious and communicable disease control
• NCDs
• Disease control programs
• Disaster and emergency situation
• Environmental health and occupational health

Task shifting
• Whenever PHS2 goes on long leave, or vacant MW will need to take up the duties such as
environmental health, communicable disease control program and infectious diseases
control.
11. Roles and Functions of Public Health Supervisor II

PHSII works in collaboration with MW in communicable disease control programs,

environmental health programs.
Main Functions
• Prevention and control of contagious and communicable disease control
• Administration of Disaster and emergency situation
• Disease control programs
• NCD programs
• Environmental and occupational health
• Health promotion and education
• Health statistics and collection of health related data.

Collaborative Work
• Maternal, Newborn and under five children’s health care
• Nutrition, School health, EPI, Clinic, prevention of Dental and oral health
• Task Shifting
• When MW is on long leave or vacant, PHSII under the supervision and management of the
HA will carry out task of MW.
• E.g: EPI, Family planning, nutrition.