Changes in Perceptions and Attitudes of Healthcare Profession Students Pre and Post Academic Course Experience of...

The aim of this study was to describe the development and outcomes of an interprofessional course "Interprofessional Care of the Critically Ill," involving pharmacy, nursing, social work, and respiratory therapy students from two universities. An institutional review board-approved survey was adapted from the TeamSTEPPS surveys investigating clinical practitioners' attitudes and perceptions regarding teamwork, collaboration, and interprofessional engagement. Items applicable to an academic setting were revised and resulted in a 28-statement survey and comments section. Participation was voluntary, and students were requested to participate in the survey on the first and last day of class. There was a significant increase in the perceived understanding of scope of practice of other disciplines from the beginning to end of class (24.4 to 60%, strongly agreed/agreed). Furthermore, students gained appreciation for the complexities associated with working in an interprofessional team with a significant increase in the percent agreeing and strongly agreeing that working on an interdisciplinary team is challenging (66.7 to 81%). Students and faculty gained a greater understanding and appreciation for other disciplines represented in the class and are therefore better prepared to engage in health care teams upon graduation. IPE should be embedded in curriculums and not just an add-on.