An inter-professional approach to children's nursing education

Area of Science:

• Healthcare Education
• Nursing Studies
• Inter-professional Learning

Background:

• Nurses operate within multi-professional healthcare teams, not in isolation.
• Effective collaboration is crucial for optimal patient care, especially for children and young people.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate an inter-professional program designed for healthcare students.
• To highlight the benefits and challenges of a multi-professional approach in nursing education.

Main Methods:

• The study focuses on the Inter-professional programme at Canterbury Christ Church University.
• The program includes pathways in midwifery, adult nursing, child nursing, medical imaging, occupational therapy, social work, and operating department practice.

Main Results:

• Benefits include an early focus on children and families.
• Students learn nursing through a multi-professional approach, enhancing collaborative skills.

Conclusions:

• Implementing inter-professional education presents challenges such as maintaining professional identity.
• Adapting teaching methods and supporting clinical staff are key to successful integration of early student placements and multi-professional focus.