Establishing a baseline of interprofessional education perceptions in first year health science students

ABSTRACT

Interprofessional education (IPE) is increasingly utilized to prepare students for their future careers in the health sciences as collaborative practitioners. Although it is considered an accreditation requirement in most health science disciplines, little is known about first year student’s perceptions of IPE in Canada. In September of 2018, students from dentistry, kinesiology, medicine, nursing, nutrition, pharmacy, and physiotherapy in their first year of their professional program at the University of Saskatchewan were surveyed to obtain a baseline of perspectives and attitudes toward IPE. The survey consisted of an adaptation of the Readiness for Interprofessional Learning Scale (RIPLS) and additional questions to assess students’ skills and interest in IPE. Descriptive and univariate statistics were used to determine associations with demographic variables. The response rate was 88% (n= 509). Health science students in all disciplines had positive perceptions of IPE, with overall mean RIPLS scores for domain 1 (teamwork and collaboration), 2 (professional identity), and 3 (roles and responsibilities) of 40.5/45, 33.3/40 and 6.3/10, respectively. Students in kinesiology had significantly lower RIPLS scores than other health science disciplines (p< .05). Female gender, and having a past degree, or previous experience with interprofessional collaboration through school or work were traits that were associated with statistically significantly higher RIPLS scores (p< .05).

KEYWORDS:

• Interprofessional Collaboration
• interprofessional team
• teamwork
• RIPLS

Acknowledgments

We would like to thank all of the health science programs and students for participating in this study.

Declaration of Interest

The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of this article.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Sydney Huebner

Sydney Huebner was an undergraduate student at the College of Pharmacy and Nutrition, University of Saskatchewan at the time of writing. After obtaining her pharmacy degree she continued her studies and is currently completing a pediatric hospital residency program with Lower Mainland Pharmacy Services in Vancouver, BC.

Qianxi (Chancy) Tang

Qianxi (Chancy) Tang was an undergraduate student at the College of Pharmacy and Nutrition, University of Saskatchewan, pursuing her accredited dietetic internship within the Saskatchewan Health Authority at the time of writing. After receiving her bachelor’s degree in Nutrition with distinction, she registered with the Saskatchewan Dietitians Association as a dietitian.

Lesley Moisey

Lesley Moisey RD, PhD, is an Assistant Professor in the College of Pharmacy and Nutrition at the University of Saskatchewan. She is also a registered dietitian and her research focuses on the development of multidisciplinary interventions to enhance outcomes in the critically ill. Lesley also teaches advanced clinical nutrition and assessment courses to dietitian trainees.

Yvonne Shevchuk

Yvonne Shevchuk is a Professor and Associate Dean Academic in the College of Pharmacy and Nutrition at the University of Saskatchewan. Her work is in the area of advancing knowledge and practice in interprofessional health education, particularly in rural settings.

Holly Mansell

Holly Mansell is an Associate Professor in the College of Pharmacy and Nutrition at the University of Saskatchewan. She maintains a practice site at the Saskatchewan Transplant Program in Saskatoon as a clinical pharmacist, working with an interdisciplinary team. She researches issues related to transplantation, and pharmacy practice.