Facilitating undergraduate interprofessional learning in healthcare: comparing classroom and clinical learning for nursing and medical students

Abstract

There has been increasing emphasis on the important role that interprofessional education (IPE) must play in educating and developing present and future healthcare professionals. However, clarity is urgently needed regarding appropriate strategies for its timing, content, delivery and assessment. This study focuses on the development of an undergraduate IPE programme for medical and nursing students. It compares learning opportunities in classroom and clinical areas and identifies suitable pedagogical strategies and subject areas. The programme consisted of 2 weeks of classroom‐based learning for all 130 participating students, followed by 6 weeks on shared placement for 35 of the 113 medical and all 17 nursing students. A triangulation of data‐collection methods was used to help strengthen reliability and validity and provide a more comprehensive analysis. In both classroom and clinical areas, successful methods of delivery for IPE were those that enabled exchanges of perspectives. Ward‐based IPE was regarded as particularly effective in encouraging students to begin to feel part of a clinical team. In contrast, classroom‐based learning enabled them to know about teamwork, but not to experience it. Practical issues of shift and timetable incompatibility were the most significant barriers to successful placement‐shared learning. Developments in this area will need to focus on those elements of clinical practice which bring students together for collaborative involvement in activities that maximize the benefits resulting from the investment of time and effort involved. We conclude that undergraduate IPE opportunities have an important role to play in enabling students to learn about the roles and responsibilities of others and the impact of this on their own practice. It should be the first step towards developing practitioners who, whilst retaining their own unique professional identity, are able to understand and respect the roles of other healthcare professionals and work collaboratively to improve patient care.

A BEME systematic review of the effects of interprofessional education: BEME Guide No. 39

“…In contrast, reluctance to participate in IPE was often linked to issues such as clashes with profession-specific learning activities, work pressures or inequalities in assessment (e.g. Morison et al 2003;Nisbet et al 2008).…”

“…Ponzer et al 2004) and the need for faculty development for facilitators (e.g. Morison et al 2003) as two key elements of this presage factor. Again, there was little attention placed on this factor in the updated papers.…”

“…Carpenter 1995), willingness to participate in IPE (e.g. Morison et al 2003), professional stereotypes and hierarchies (e.g. Cooke et al 2003), gender (e.g.…”

Reinvigorating Engagement and Collaboration through Interprofessional Education (RECIPE) in nursing and public health students

“…In the past, IPE was primarily implemented with nursing, medical, and pharmacy students, [12][13][14] with clinical-based IPE reported by students as most effective in enabling their exchange of perspectives and encouraging their feeling as part of a clinical team; while classroom-based IPE was reported by students as enabling them to know about teamwork, but not to experience it. [12] However, our small mixed group activity provided nursing and public health students an opportunity to work and function as a team for completing an assignment and giving a group presentation, in which they practiced communication, teamwork, and collaborations. Also, in this process, students learned to divide roles and responsibilities among each group member to represent in the group presentation, in which, they gained experience in active learning and problem-solving.…”

Évaluation préliminaire d'un séminaire pilote mixte "médecine/orthophonie", préalable au développement d'un programme interprofessionnel en sciences de la santé

“…Selon Barr [42] , l'apprentissage interprofessionnel peut revêtir différentes formes, qu'il s'agisse d'un séminaire d'apprentissage tel que nous l'avons structuré ou d'une expérience partagée de stages cliniques (voir pour un exemple les travaux de Morrison et al [43] ). Dès lors, l'apprentissage interprofessionnel peut être pensé en termes d'expérience évolutive.…”