JCPSLP Vol 20 No 3 November 2018

communication disability, including the importance of working with community members, raising awareness, and understanding issues in creating culturally responsive services. The learning process does not end with the return of the visitor to his/her home country though, as the development of professional networks facilitates the continuation of learning processes remotely. Current research/evidence-based practice An emphasis on evidence-based practice (EBP) exists within and across health care professions (Hoffmann, Bennett, & Del Mar, 2017). Speech-language pathology embraces EBP in its delivery of services for people with communication and/or swallowing disability (SPA, 2010). The Speech Pathology Australia National Conference provides a valuable forum for the dissemination of current research across a range of practice areas in the profession. Increasingly, we are reminded that EBP is “the conscientious, explicit and judicious integration of best available external evidence from systematic research, best available evidence internal to clinical practice, and best available evidence concerning the preferences of a fully informed patient” (Dollaghan, 2007, p. 2). Hoffmann and colleagues (2017) have suggested a relevant fourth realm, that is, that practice is also informed by the practice context. Speech and language pathologists seek to work in line with practices that are, as much as possible, supported by research and international consensus. Attendance at the SPA conference provided me with knowledge of current research and translation of research findings into practice. Knowledge of current and emerging practice in speech pathology is of great benefit to professionals and clients in Majority World countries where there is little research on services for PWCD. Not only are the beneficiaries of EBP our clients, but also our SLP students. Teaching students current research has far-reaching effects in shaping the future of the profession in Majority World countries. Professionals in the Majority World face the challenges of appraising current research findings and adjusting practices to suit their context. The clinician’s expertise and client’s values therefore serve to inform the evidence base for the intervention approach to be applied in contextually relevant and culturally responsive ways. The needs of PWCD in Majority World countries are receiving increased attention (World Health Organization, 2011). It was noteworthy that at the 2018 SPA conference, there were several sessions reporting on work with under served communities, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, and people in Majority World countries. These presentations reinforced the growing body of literature that emphasises the importance of developing education programs and services that are culturally safe and responsive (Wickenden, Hartley, Kariyaaranawa, & Kodkara, 2003). The conference provided me with an opportunity to learn about current research in speech pathology; however, it was also an avenue to establish relationships with some of the professionals involved in the research and to consider how research and practice in Australia could be translated to “best practice” in our context. Professional networking Meaningful learning can occur as the result of global health partnerships (Busse, Aboneh, & Tefera, 2014). Opportunities, such as my attendance at the 2018 SPA

conference, provide an avenue to meet colleagues from other parts of the world. The SPA conference provided me with both professional development and international engagement. I am the clinical coordinator of the newly established Speech & Language Pathology Masters program at the University of Ghana. Clinical education is recognised as a key component in the professional training of speech-language pathologists (Ho & Whitehill, 2009). The challenges of providing quality clinical education experiences in a country that has only six SLPs and few established SLP services are immense. Being a new program, there is a crucial need for support in clinical education in order for the students to graduate as competent and well-trained SLPs. There is also the need to develop programs to support the clinical educators who will supervise the students. Attendance at the 2018 Speech Pathology Australia National Conference helped me to develop professional networks in professional education as I had the opportunity to meet clinical coordinators from other countries (both Majority & Minority worlds). In Majority World countries such as in Ghana where the number of SLPs are few, alternative models of supervision need to be considered. This visit enabled me to consider other models of clinical education relevant to an emerging profession in Ghana such as tele practice and peer learning, although specific systems relevant to our context will need to be developed and evaluated. This international visit has helped to extend my understanding of models of clinical education and assessment of students’ development of clinical competency. Further to this, attendance at the Asia Pacific Education Collaboration in Speech Language Pathology (APEC–SLP) meeting provided a learning opportunity for me to meet university educators in clinical education and share ideas. In addition, the one week visit to Edith Cowan University in Perth, Western Australia, further provided occasions to observe a simulation centre, meet clinical coordinators, observe students on clinical placements and establish new professional networks. Sharing information about Ghana International visits facilitate information sharing. I had the opportunity to share information about Ghana with clinical educators and speech and language pathologists from other countries. An international conference can provide participants from Minority World countries with the ability to learn about contexts that are different from their own and to know more about the realities and challenges faced by colleagues in countries where the profession is emerging. At the APEC–SLP meeting educators learned about services for PWCD and the training of SLPs in Ghana. Australia is a multicultural country and thus, information about service provision in Majority World countries, which are multicultural, helps SLPs in the Minority World to understand how to work with people from similar cultural contexts, such as Ghana. Working across cultures is not easy. It is therefore important to have international partners who understand the context and the cultures in which the professionals in Majority World countries work. Together with my Australian colleague who had worked extensively in Ghana, we gave a lunchtime presentation at the Speech Pathology Australia National Conference on “Developing Effective International Partnerships: The Ghana SLT Experience”. One point we

108

JCPSLP Volume 20, Number 3 2018

Journal of Clinical Practice in Speech-Language Pathology