The role of the Lecturer Practitioner in interprofessional education

A Lecturer Practitioner (LP) is a joint appointment between a hospital/NHS Trust and a university with a responsibility for nurse education - in academia and in practice. The LP is a member of the multi-disciplinary team, often within a speciality, and bridging the 'theory-practice' gap is at the core of his/her role. Interprofessional education involves interactive learning between members of different professional groups, who are likely to form part of a multi-disciplinary team in a clinical area. The unique position of the LP within this team is ideal for providing a link between education and practice for the team. Although LPs were established to facilitate nurse education, this paper proposes that there are good reasons why they can help facilitate learning of all health-care professionals, particularly interprofessional education.