Learning about each other: students' conceptions before and after interprofessional education on a training ward

Area of Science:

• Healthcare Education
• Interprofessional Collaboration
• Social Work & Nursing

Background:

• Interprofessional work can face conflicts due to professional in-group identity.
• Interprofessional training wards (IPTWs) are utilized in Sweden to mitigate these issues.
• Understanding professional perceptions is crucial for effective healthcare teams.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine how student nurses, occupational therapists, and social workers perceive their own and other professions.
• To assess changes in these perceptions before and after clinical education on an IPTW.
• To identify persistent discrepancies in professional understanding.

Main Methods:

• Qualitative study involving 16 students (nurses, occupational therapists, social workers).
• Interviews conducted before and after a 3-week clinical education period on an IPTW.
• Analysis using a pre-established coding scheme.

Main Results:

• Students showed reduced stereotyping and enhanced understanding of other professions post-IPTW.
• Some discrepancies remain between self-perception and others' perception of a profession.
• Three weeks of IPTW clinical education positively impacted interprofessional perceptions.

Conclusions:

• IPTWs can effectively improve interprofessional understanding among healthcare students.
• Balancing unique professional identity with shared team identity is essential in interprofessional training.
• Addressing remaining discrepancies is vital for cohesive healthcare teams.