Interprofessional undergraduate students talk about nurses and nursing: A qualitative study

Area of Science:

• Health Professions Education
• Nursing Studies
• Interprofessional Learning

Background:

• Understanding student discourse on nursing is crucial for professional identity development.
• Interprofessional education (IPE) programs offer unique opportunities for cross-disciplinary learning and discussion.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the conversations of diverse health professional students regarding nurses and nursing.
• To identify themes emerging from discussions about nursing within an interprofessional context.

Main Methods:

• Qualitative descriptive study utilizing focus groups with final-year undergraduate health professional students.
• Participants included students from dentistry, dietetics, medicine, nursing, occupational therapy, pharmacy, and physiotherapy.
• Data analysis involved thematic analysis of transcribed group interviews.

Main Results:

• Two main themes emerged: 'constrained conversations' and 'the benefit of IPE: what nursing might become'.
• Sub-themes included 'nursing as doing,' 'limiting our vocabulary,' 'becoming part of the conversation,' and 'moving from the present to the future what nursing might become.'
• Discussions revealed limitations in vocabulary and a desire for broader conversations about nursing's future.

Conclusions:

• Interprofessional education provided a valuable forum for nursing students to articulate their professional role.
• This experience facilitated learning about other health professions and enhanced the understanding of nursing's scope.
• The articulation of the nurse's role was an unanticipated positive outcome of the interprofessional program.