Collaboration between an interprofessional team from the Cardiac Critical Care Unit, at SickKids hospital in Toronto, Canada, and Children's HeartLink, a non-profit organization from the United States, has resulted in several medical exchanges to China. To date SickKids and Children's HeartLink have collaborated three international exchanges to Chengdu. The overall goal of each exchange was to work in partnership with the local hospital to improve its capacity to advance the care of pediatric cardiac patients.

Objective:
To discuss how care can be advanced through professional exchanges. To meet the challenge to provide expert care in an environment where there are modest resources and sensitivity to culture diversity is expected.

Methods:
This presentation will highlight the role of the interprofessional team
within these medical exchanges. These exchanges provide an opportunity for teaching, coaching, and mentoring the local team both at the bedside and in a more formal classroom environment.

Results:
The SickKids interprofessional team worked closely with their Chinese
colleagues, as a unified team, to advance the care of pediatric cardiac
patients.

Conclusion:
Through an interprofessional, collaborative approach, expert models of care can be incorporated into an already existing practice, advancing overall patient care.