Interprofessional education on a training ward for older people : students' conceptions of nurses, occupational therapists and social workers.

• Collaboration between professionals in health and social care is essential to meet the needs of the patient. The collaboration is dependent on knowledge and understanding of each other's roles. One means of improving communication and collaboration among professionals is interprofessional education. The aim of this study was to describe the variation in how students in nursing, occupational therapy and social work perceived their own and the other professions. Over a three-week period two interviews were conducted with each of 16 students who were on an interprofessional training ward for older people in a municipal setting in Sweden. A phenomenographical approach was used in the analysis of the interviews. The findings showed great variation in how the students perceived the professions, from simplistic in terms of tasks to a more complex conception in terms of knowledge, responsibility and values. Differences in the ways professions were described concerning their professional stance towards the patients were especially accentuated. The findings indicate that the students need opportunities for reflection on and scrutiny of each other's beliefs and knowledge. The influence of interprofessional education involving reflection on the different health-care professions needs to be explored in future research.

Subject headings

MEDICIN OCH HÄLSOVETENSKAP  -- Hälsovetenskap -- Omvårdnad (hsv//swe)

MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES  -- Health Sciences -- Nursing (hsv//eng)

SAMHÄLLSVETENSKAP  -- Utbildningsvetenskap -- Pedagogik (hsv//swe)

SOCIAL SCIENCES  -- Educational Sciences -- Pedagogy (hsv//eng)

Keyword

Adult

Attitude of Health Personnel

Clinical Clerkship/organization & administration

Female

Geriatrics

Health Personnel/*education

Humans

Interprofessional Relations

Male

Middle Aged

Nurses

Occupational Therapy

Social Work

Students; Health Occupations/*psychology

Sweden

Nursing

Omvårdnad

Caring sciences

Vårdvetenskap

Nursing education

Publication and Content Type

ref (subject category)

art (subject category)