Healthcare students' personality traits, readiness for interprofessional learning and self-efficacy for competence in...

Interprofessional learning can enhance self-efficacy for competence in interprofessional collaborative practice among healthcare students. Research shows that healthcare students enter interprofessional learning with varying prerequisites. However, little is known about how these factors influence self-efficacy for competence in interprofessional collaborative practice.

To explore healthcare students' self-efficacy for competence in interprofessional collaborative practice related to readiness for interprofessional learning, personality traits, gender and healthcare education.

A cross-sectional survey was conducted, involving healthcare students from four different programmes at two universities in Sweden. The Interprofessional Education Collaborative Competency Self-Efficacy Tool (IPECC-Set 9), the Readiness for Interprofessional Learning Scale (RIPLS) and the Neuroticism, Extraversion, and Openness to Experience Five-Factor Inventory (NEO-FFI) were used. Data were analysed using descriptive and analytic statistics.

The study included 598 participants, comprising 281 nursing, 199 medical, 65 physiotherapy and 46 occupational therapy students. The IPECC-Set 9 correlated positively with the RIPLS dimensions of Teamwork and Collaboration and Roles and Responsibilities, and the personality traits Extraversion and Conscientiousness, and negatively with Neuroticism. The personality traits Extraversion and Conscientiousness were identified as positive predictors for higher scores on the IPECC-Set 9, (R² = 0.09, adjusted R² = 0.08). Medical students had lower scores in the RIPLS than students from the other programmes, while women scored higher than men.

Personality predicts students´ self-efficacy for competence in interprofessional collaborative practice, while gender and education influence students' readiness for interprofessional learning. These factors should be considered when designing interprofessional learning activities to maintain student motivation and educational quality.