Pages 504-505 in N. Murphy and A. Parkinson, eds. Circumpolar Health 2012: Circumpolar Health Comes Full Circle. Proceedings of the 15th International Congress on Circumpolar Health, Fairbanks, Alaska, USA, August 5-10, 2012. International Journal of Circumpolar Health 2013;72 (Suppl 1):504-505
Leadership and Organizational Change, University of Alberta School of Public Health, Edmonton, AB,
Canada
Twinsburg MPH HPM Program, Leadership and Organizational Change, Kent State University
College of Public Health, Kent, OH, USA
Health Canada First Nations and Inuit Health Branch (FNIHB), Alberta, Canada
Health Promoter Initiative, Health Canada FNIHB, Alberta, Canada
Source
Pages 504-505 in N. Murphy and A. Parkinson, eds. Circumpolar Health 2012: Circumpolar Health Comes Full Circle. Proceedings of the 15th International Congress on Circumpolar Health, Fairbanks, Alaska, USA, August 5-10, 2012. International Journal of Circumpolar Health 2013;72 (Suppl 1):504-505
The First Nations reserve communities in Alberta are widely distributed creating logistical and financial challenges for face-to-face (f-to-f) meetings of community healthcare personnel. However, such meetings can provide excellent venues for professional development, program planning, idea sharing and generation, problem solving
and developing support networks, all factors that are
important to team development and function.
In 2011, the Alberta Health Promoter Initiative (AHPI) began planning for what we hoped would
become a blended f-to-f and virtual strategy for group self-directed professional development, that is, in essence, initiating the development of blended f-to-f communities of practice (COP) and virtual communities of practice (VCOP). A successful model for on-going professional
development could serve as a blended group-engagement model to address other topics as well, particularly the above-mentioned areas of program planning, idea sharing and generation, problem solving across communities, and the development of support networks that are so important to individuals working in isolated communities.
We believe that the "self-directed" aspect of this
program is a critical factor for both COP and VCOP
success, and we believe the virtual gatherings for professional development, meetings, and so on have barely begun to realize their potential effectiveness.