The rural and interprofessional education and collaborative practice interface: Findings from a qualitative study

ABSTRACT

While rural health-care settings are said to be ideal places for the facilitation of interprofessional education and collaborative practice (IPECP) in students, little is known about the rural-IPECP interface. This study explored this interface through student and clinical educator experiences following implementation of a structured IPECP student placement model. Data were gathered through 11 focus groups with 34 students and 24 clinical educators. Content analysis was used to analyze data and two categories were developed for reporting. The power of place and space, highlighting the importance of flexibility, co-location, and lack of hierarchy in promoting IPECP, as well as the role of shared accommodation in enhancing social connectedness within and outside placement were highlighted. This study unpacks the characteristics of rural health-care settings that make it ideal for IPECP despite the resource constraints. Future studies can investigate the rural-IPECP interface through a patient lens.

KEYWORDS:

• Collaborative practice
• interprofessional education
• placement model
• rural health

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Supplementary material

Supplemental data for this article can be accessed online at https://doi.org/10.1080/13561820.2023.2232400

Additional information

Funding

The authors thank the Toowoomba Hospital Foundation and Pure Land Learning College for proving a research grant towards the study (Ref: THF 2020 R1 01).

Notes on contributors

Priya Martin

Dr Priya Martin is a senior research fellow and an occupational therapist working to enhance collaboartive care and to bridge the evidence practice gap.

Geoff Argus

Geoff Argus is the Director of Southern Queensland Rural Health and a Psychologist.

Martelle Ford

Ms Martelle Ford is a PhD candidate and was a research assistant on this project.

Tessa Barnett

Ms Tessa Barnett is a Speech Pathology clinical educator with an interest in interprofessional education.

Nicola Graham

Ms Nicola Graham is the Director of Speech Pathology at the Cairns Hospital and Health Service, with expertise in clinical education.

Anne Hill

Anne Hill is a Speech Pathologist and educational researcher interested in interprofessional education and collaborative practice.