Nurse practitioner faculty attitudes about interprofessional education

Area of Science:

• Nursing Education
• Interprofessional Education
• Faculty Attitudes

Background:

• Faculty attitudes towards interprofessional education (IPE) can impede its integration into nursing curricula.
• Limited research compares faculty attitudes across different IPE educational modalities.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare nurse practitioner (NP) faculty attitudes toward IPE based on their IPE experiences and the educational modalities employed in NP academic programs.

Main Methods:

• A quantitative, cross-sectional comparative design was utilized.
• An electronic survey was distributed to approximately 3,000 members of the National Organization of NP Faculties.
• The survey assessed NP faculty attitudes towards IPE in academic settings.

Main Results:

• A total of 208 NP faculty completed the survey (6.9% response rate).
• NP faculty reported generally positive attitudes towards IPE (M = 4.33).
• No statistically significant differences were found in NP faculty attitudes toward IPE based on participation in IPE experiences (p = .126) or educational modality (F(2, 172) = 0.74, p = .479).

Conclusions:

• NP faculty express optimism regarding IPE across various educational modalities, yet harbor reservations about successful implementation.
• Addressing NP faculty attitudes and barriers is crucial for developing IPE curricula.
• Successful IPE implementation is essential for preparing practice-ready, collaborative healthcare providers.