Nurse's Role from Medical Students' Perspective during Their Interprofessional Clinical Practice: Evidence from...

Area of Science:

• Healthcare professions education
• Nursing and medical studies

Background:

• Attitudes toward interprofessional education (IPE) influence student behavior in interprofessional practice.
• IPE uniquely enhances understanding of diverse professional perspectives.
• IPE is crucial for effective healthcare training and practice.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate medical students' perceptions of the nurse's role during interprofessional clinical practice.
• Assessing attitudes towards nursing roles in collaborative healthcare settings.

Main Methods:

• Descriptive, correlational research design.
• Quantitative data collection and analysis of student attitudes.

Main Results:

• Lithuanian medical students perceived nurses as professional, patient-involved, and relationship-builders.
• Foreign medical students were more inclined to view nurses as working independently and within narrow professional boundaries.
• Significant differences in perceptions between student groups regarding nursing roles in teams.

Conclusions:

• Six months of interprofessional training improved medical students' clarity on the nurse's professional role.
• IPE facilitates a more accurate understanding of nursing contributions in healthcare teams.
• Enhanced professional role perception following collaborative training experiences.