From uniprofessionality to interprofessionality: dual vs dueling identities in healthcare

Healthcare systems are at times still viewed as siloed performances of single professions, wherein some groups hold hierarchical positions based on their expertise and prestige, rather than a collective functioning of interprofessional teams. Current policies, procedures, and regulations in healthcare education and practice seem to contribute to this context in which the various health and social care professions are set in opposition to one another. The historical, and still prominent, uniprofessional education and socialization practices position health and social care professions to view each as rivals and threats toward achieving their profession/al advancement and growth. The transformation from uniprofessionality to interprofessionality in healthcare requires the application of interprofessional socialization not just at the individual level, but also at the professional and system levels. In this process of interprofessional socialization, we need to embrace the uniqueness of each profession while cultivating an interprofessional collaboration culture in the system (dual identity). In so doing, we can facilitate a shifting mind-set, culture, operations, and policies in healthcare to recognize and foster the contribution and accountability of each profession toward achieving the quadruple aim of better care, better health, better value, and better work experience.