Interprofessional service-learning: cutting teeth and learning to crawl

An interprofessional community-based service-learning initiative, supporting early childhood development in an impoverished community, was launched on a South African university's rural training platform. The study aimed to determine how this learning experience influenced students' interprofessional person-centered practice. An interpretative qualitative approach was followed. In-depth focus group discussions with dietetic (n = 15), medical (n = 24) and occupational therapy (n = 6) students were conducted before they left for a rural training site, directly afterward and again six months later. The findings indicated that most students had a limited experience of interprofessional collaborative practice (IPCP) beforehand. Afterward, those demonstrating developmental learning reported increased knowledge about their own roles, a deeper understanding of the roles of other professions and a realization of the importance of IPCP. Different reactions were related to students' profession, attitude and insight, and other interprofessional experiences during the placement. Contact with service users in the community, additional interprofessional clinical activities and shared living spaces are likely to further enhance students' competencies in IPCP. A lack of interprofessional role modeling in the academic hospital, where most students returned to, hindered them to continue following an interprofessional, person-centered approach. Longer, synchronized rotations on a decentralized platform may be beneficial to inculcate competencies related to IPCP.