Breaking Silos: Interprofessional Learning In Action at MDSC 2025

With over 1,400 MD students attending annually, MDSC is a student-led conference for University of Melbourne’s medical students and this year, it embraced an interprofessional learning focus.

A standout in this year’s program was delivered by the Collaborative Practice Centre (CPC), with Friday Night at the ER, a fast-paced, team-based interprofessional tabletop simulation designed to foster collaboration, systems thinking, and communication skills. Following a successful pilot session in December, we were invited to deliver two interactive sessions as a feature of this year’s conference.

What made this year especially exciting was the expansion beyond the MD cohort. Sixty students from across the Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences - including audiology, dentistry, nursing, optometry, oral health therapy, physiotherapy, public health, and speech pathology joined the sessions. The result was a truly interprofessional learning experience that reflected the realities of healthcare teams.

Each session included a briefing and gameplay with a facilitated debriefing and reflective discussion, allowing students to unpack their experience and consider how teamwork, communication, and systems thinking influence outcomes in complex healthcare settings.

Bringing together students from diverse health professions to engage in hands-on, meaningful collaboration is at the heart of the CPC’s interprofessional education goals. Simulation-based activities like Friday Night at the ER offer a safe yet dynamic environment to explore and apply teamwork skills, leadership, and the realities of working in complex healthcare systems well before students enter the workforce.

We interviewed students to hear their reflections on the experience. We asked what it meant to them to learn about, from and with other disciplines, how this type of learning might inspire change in the health system, and what moments stood out most. Their responses were thoughtful and inspiring:

“We all might seem so different… but we realised we have so many similarities. Our end goal is the same; and that’s the patient.”

“It's kind of inspirational when you get to learn with other students. Things you only see from your angle suddenly shift.”

“I really wish we could do more of this from the start of our degree.”

“This was a beautiful experience. I would highly recommend anyone else in the future to undertake it.”

Their reflections speak volumes about the power of interprofessional learning and the importance of creating space and opportunities for students to connect across disciplines early in their training.

We’ve captured some of their insights in two short videos. Hear directly from the students about what the experience meant to them.

We’re incredibly proud of the enthusiasm and contributions from every discipline involved and thank the MDSC organising committee for welcoming us into this year’s program.

Watch the videos here: Students interview (Part 1) | Students interview (Part 2)