Exploring new healthcare professionals' roles through interprofessional education

Area of Science:

• Healthcare professions education
• Interprofessional collaboration
• Nursing and medical training

Background:

• Interprofessional education (IPE) is crucial for healthcare team development.
• Defining roles for advanced practice nurses (APNs) within healthcare teams is an ongoing challenge.
• Simulation-based learning offers a safe environment for interprofessional training.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate a simulation-based IPE program for trainee advanced practice nurses (APNs) and internal medicine residents (IMRs).
• To assess learners' attitudes toward IPE, focusing on teamwork, collaboration, and patient-centeredness.
• To explore how IPE influences the understanding of APN professional scope and boundaries.

Main Methods:

• A semester-long, high-fidelity simulation program involving trainee APNs and IMRs in Singapore.
• Quantitative assessment of learner attitudes using validated Likert scaled surveys.
• Qualitative assessment through analysis of written comments regarding the IPE experience.

Main Results:

• High overall satisfaction reported by both trainee APNs and IMRs.
• Strongly positive attitudes toward teamwork, collaboration, and patient-centered care were observed.
• Written feedback emphasized the IPE's effectiveness in clarifying the professional scope and boundaries of APN practice.

Conclusions:

• Simulation-based IPE is effective in fostering positive attitudes towards teamwork and collaboration.
• IPE significantly enhances understanding of the advanced practice nurse role within the healthcare team.
• This IPE model holds potential for defining roles in other emerging healthcare professions.