Module 3: Education & LTC
90 3.5.2 Communities of Practice
A Community of Practice (CoP) is a group of practitioners with a shared interest who collaborate to exchange knowledge and experiences and support practice change[1].
Role of CoPs:
- CoPs are instrumental for supporting health care professionals in LTC
- CoPs exist province wide and nationally
- Foster collaboration and knowledge-sharing
- CoPs exist for a multitude of reasons including and not limited to; clinical and/or professional skills and issues, organizational and leadership, and interestingly even from a legal standpoint
Benefits of a CoP:
CoP to support NP role development and integration can help to advance the NP role in healthcare
A collaborative CoP model addresses:
- The internal interests and requirements of participating members
- Attends to the external worries of the organization, and
- Contributes to health care enhancement
CoPs also provide:
- Perspective and understanding of the problems
- Shared practice to reduce duplication, cost and time
- Shared knowledge to foster a stronger workforce and increased sources of expertise
- Meaningful participation and increased trust and confidence
Building a successful CoP
A CoP can start small as people come together in shared interest, and does not have to proceed in a lock step order
Key factors that are crucial to the success of a CoP include: