Exploring the development of interprofessional competence and professional identity: A Situated Learning Theory study

ABSTRACT

Workplace-based learning provides medical students exposure to interprofessional competencies through repeated exposures and active participation in interprofessional learning activities. Using Situated Learning Theory as our theoretical lens, we explored with medical students how interacting with existing interprofessional teams contributes to development of an expanded health care professional identity. An embedded mixed methods study using semi-structured interviews and questionnaires to assess readiness for interprofessional learning was conducted with 14 medical students completing an elective at an interprofessional pain medicine clinic. Within this workplace-based context, a model identifying key themes and supporting factors contributing to the development of an extended professional identity was developed. These findings help describe the processes by which students gain interprofessional collaboration competence.

KEYWORDS:

• Interprofessional training
• interprofessional collaboration
• mixed methods
• interprofessional identity
• professional identity

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to acknowledge and thank the patients, preceptors, and medical trainees for their participation in this research project.

Disclosure statement

In accordance with Taylor & Francis policy and my ethical obligation as a researcher, I am reporting that Kent Hecker is involved as Chief Assessment Officer of the International Council for Veterinary Assessment (ICVA) a not-for-profit organization that may be affected by the research reported in the enclosed paper.

Additional information

Funding

This project was supported by a grant from the Anesthesia Academic Counsel Grant AAC 2018-06 within the Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative, and Pain Medicine at the Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Alberta, Canada.