Providing interprofessional learning through interdisciplinary collaboration: the role of "modelling"

Faculty from four disciplines at a small Liberal Arts College in an American Midwestern city collaborated on an interdisciplinary pre-service project. Students in nursing, physical therapy, social work and special education voluntarily participated in one of two group methods of teaching. The purpose of this study was to examine whether students learn interprofessional teaming more effectively from (i) discussion of research, faculty modeling and role-playing, or from (ii) discussion of research and role-playing. Results from the evaluation suggested both groups benefited from discussions and role-playing related to interprofessional team meetings. A significant difference between students who observed faculty modeling and those who did not was found. The paper discusses the importance of preparing college students for interprofessional collaboration in light of current research.