Interprofessional education internships in schools: jump starting change

Placing our practicum students into an interprofessional education (IPE) practicum without prior course work is an unorthodox idea, however, it was discovered that the road to IPE success is not along a single pathway. This multi-case study explores the experience of seven cohorts of pre-service professionals from the faculties of Education, Nursing, Justice Studies, Kinesiology and Health Studies and Social Work who engaged in a 14-week, full-time interprofessional internship in inner-city schools. Findings suggest that this IPE practicum provided a forum for students to develop sophisticated communication skills and more fully respect the scope and breadth of each other's practice while working towards improving the quality of care for children through interprofessional collaboration. The discussion raises issues related to: the unique challenges of IPE in community-based settings, where lack of mentoring and issues related to "authenticity" emerge; "othering" and the ways in which discourse re-inscribes racist ways of knowing; and the value of co-constructed learning and the need to respond to emerging needs in context rather than in a linear, sequential process. Over two years, it was discovered that a seemingly backward approach to IPE moved our agenda forward in directions we had not anticipated.