Get Out of Your Silo: A Qualitative Examination of an Interprofessional Undergraduate Course

Abstract

Purpose: Interprofessional collaboration in schools is fundamental to the success of all students. The purpose of this exploratory study is to examine the impact of an innovative one-credit-hour undergraduate course on students' knowledge of the Interprofessional Education Collaborative's (IPEC) core competencies for interprofessional practice. Method: Nine undergraduate students from communication sciences and disorders, inclusive early childhood education, and elementary education majors participated in two focus groups (one at the beginning and one at the end of the course). The researchers used a directed content analysis approach to analyze the data in terms of frequency and depth of the students' descriptions of the IPEC core competencies. Results: Two main findings emerged: (a) participants discussed the roles and responsibilities for collaborative practice (RR) and interprofessional teamwork and team-based practice (TT) competencies more frequently at the end of the course, and (b) participants discussed the RR, TT, and interprofessional communication practices competencies in a greater level of depth at the end of the course. Conclusions: These results suggest that a one-credit-hour course has the potential to enhance undergraduate students' knowledge of the IPEC core competencies in relation to school-based collaboration. Additional learning experiences for undergraduate students could include observations of co-teaching in schools, practicum experiences in which students have the opportunity to engage in co-teaching, and additional coursework on collaboration and teamwork. Supplemental Material: https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.21313722