Developing intersubjectivity and teamwork skills through learning circles on clinical placement: A mixed methods...

Area of Science:

• Nursing Education
• Teamwork Skills Development
• Intersubjectivity in Healthcare

Background:

• Teamwork is crucial for safe nursing care, relying on shared understanding (intersubjectivity).
• Work-based learning circles are a potential educational strategy to foster teamwork.

Purpose of the Study:

• Evaluate learning circles' effectiveness in building intersubjectivity and teamwork skills.
• Identify barriers and facilitators of learning circles as an educational tool.

Main Methods:

• Convergent parallel mixed methods design.
• Cross-sectional survey of nursing students (n=128).
• Qualitative descriptive interviews with clinical facilitators (n=5).

Main Results:

• Students reported development of core teamwork skills.
• Facilitators observed student engagement and enhanced their own teaching methods.
• Sharing diverse clinical experiences fostered intersubjectivity among students.

Conclusions:

• Learning circles are effective for developing intersubjectivity and teamwork in nursing students.
• Interprofessional learning circles may further enhance intersubjectivity and teamwork skills.