Abstract
Interprofessional collaborative practice (ICP) is an essential skill in today’s healthcare environment that can be cultivated through interprofessional education (IPE) in higher education, as students are in the process of developing their professional identities. Undergraduate social work field students and nursing students in clinical rotation explored their experiences together in clinical supervision groups co-led by instructors from both fields. Researchers used a mixed methods approach to measure changes in feelings and skills related to ICP among students who participated in clinical supervision groups. Eighteen nursing and social work students participated; those involved in the interprofessional clinical supervision groups performed better on the Inter-professional Socialization and Valuing Scale (ISVS) than the comparison group. Qualitative themes indicated that students enhanced their interprofessional knowledge; improved their interprofessional communication skills; and increased their comfort levels on an interprofessional team. Implications and suggestions for implementation are discussed.
Highlights
Theoretical FrameworkA systematic review of the interprofessional education (IPE)/Interprofessional collaborative practice (ICP) literature revealed the central importance of theory; there is no working consensus on the superiority of any one theory (Hall et al, 2013; Hean et al, 2013; Olson & Bialocerkowski, 2014)
This project aimed to explore the use of clinical supervision groups in higher education as an innovative IPE method, as it addresses the development of identity discussed in social identity theory (SIT), as well as addresses communication issues that commonly arise as barriers to ICP
Data suggests that interprofessional clinical supervision groups in higher education show promise as an IPE intervention to prepare undergraduate students for interprofessional practice
Summary
Theoretical FrameworkA systematic review of the IPE/ICP literature revealed the central importance of theory; there is no working consensus on the superiority of any one theory (Hall et al, 2013; Hean et al, 2013; Olson & Bialocerkowski, 2014). The literature suggests that learning theories, behaviorism, cognitive constructivism, and social constructivism all have the potential to play a role in IPE curriculum development. Based on the lack of theoretical orientation found in the IPE literature, it was determined that it would be important to ground this project in a theoretical framework. Social identity theory (SIT), originally conceptualized by Tajfel and Turner (1979), was the theoretical orientation most suited to ground this process (Burford, 2012; Pecukonis, 2014). SIT provides a theoretical basis for facilitating collaboration among students from different fields of study as they are in the process of learning professional roles and boundaries
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