Teamwork and managing conflict: A pharmacy and technician student intraprofessional workshop

Abstract

Background and purposeIntraprofessional education of pharmacy team members before entering practice may support future teamwork. The purposes of the paper are to describe (1) content and instructional methods of a workshop emphasizing roles, teamwork, and conflict resolution for pharmacy and pharmacy technician students and (2) evaluation of the workshop. Educational activity and settingInstructional components included pre-workshop didactic learning, a pre-workshop exercise, and a three-hour in person workshop. The workshop was evaluated by collecting student perceptions of how the workshop affected their understanding and confidence in managing conflict (feedback survey), students' reported key learnings (post-workshop written reflections), and informal debriefing comments from faculty/facilitators. FindingsNinety-three pharmacy and 29 technician students participated. Forty-two students (34%) completed the survey, with respondents reporting a better understanding of conflict management (73.8%). However, fewer respondents (58.5%) felt more confident recognizing and managing conflict in the workplace. Respondents indicated the use of role play scripts was helpful to illustrate conflict that may occur in pharmacy practice. In written reflections, students reported a clearer understanding and appreciation of respective roles and differences in conflict management styles and recognized the need for open communication by team members. Suggestions for improvement included a more balanced discussion of pharmacist and technician scope and roles. SummaryStudents reported a better understanding of conflict management, an appreciation of variation in conflict management styles, and the need for open communication by team members in the workplace as a result of this interprofessional workshop.