"Booster Days": An educational initiative to develop a community of practice of primary care collaborative memory clinics

• Published in: Gerontology & geriatrics education Vol. 41; no. 1; pp. 4 - 19
• Main Authors: Lee, Linda, Hillier, Loretta M., Weston, W. Wayne
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Routledge 02.01.2020; Taylor & Francis Ltd
• Subjects: Collaboration; Communities of Practice; Community Relations; Continuing education; dementia care; interprofessional education; Primary care; primary care collaborative memory clinics; Continuing education; interprofessional education; primary care collaborative memory clinics; communities of practice; dementia care
• ISSN: 0270-1960; 1545-3847
• DOI: 10.1080/02701960.2017.1373350

This study explores the value of a Booster Day education initiative for clinicians working in interprofessional Primary Care Collaborative Memory Clinics (PCCMC) to share updates in dementia care, challenging cases, key lessons learned, and best practices, as a mechanism to foster learning and support the PCCMC Community of Practice (CoP). Between 2010 and 2016, 17 annual Booster Days were delivered to health professionals who completed the PCCMC training program. All participants were invited to complete an evaluation survey in which they identified the ways in which the sessions have been helpful; 89% (1361/1530) completed surveys. The Booster Days were valued as opportunities for networking to learn from other clinicians, fostering a sense of community, learning new information, learning to support practice improvements, and team building. An annual Booster Day that incorporates active participant engagement, information sharing, and networking may effectively support CoPs, learning, team building, and practice change within interprofessional teams.