Evaluating student learning in an interprofessional curriculum: the relevance of pre-qualifying inter-professional education for future professional practice

The focus of this study was qualified health and social care professionals’ views about their experience of pre-qualifying interprofessional education (IPE). Adult nurses, midwives, physiotherapists, and social workers were interviewed

Girard d'Athee and the Men from the Touraine Their Roles under King John

Girard d'Athée and the Men from the Touraine Their Roles under King John Clause 50 of Magna Carta 1215 proscribes a group of men who are never again to hold office in England. They are described as Girard d'Athée's relatives (parentes), and although some of their names appear, no reasons are given for their inclusion in the clause. This thesis traces the lives of Girard d'Athée and his group, from their origins in the Touraine, through their arrival in England, through their responsibilities and influence under John, concluding with a brief resumé of their careers under Henry III. It also analyses the reasons for the inclusion of Clause 50 in the 1215 version of Magna Carta. Were the men proscribed because of their foreign birth or because they abused their positions as servants of the king? Did the barons fear their military might, or merely object to their misdemeanours? Did the established baronage and zealous parvenus covet the rewards bestowed on Athée and his clan or were they simply jealous of the increasingly close friendship these men were forging with John? Or was the clause nothing more than the result of a personal vendetta against members of the clan? By comparing and contrasting the careers of the men from the Touraine with that of another contemporary of theirs from the same area, Peter de Maulay, who was not proscribed in Clause 50, a clear appreciation of their value to the king and country can be determined. A balanced judgement suggests that their actions justified the king's confidence in them, and that they did not deserve the censure and suspicion of the chroniclers, some influential members of the baronage, and several modern historians

Making the most of interprofessional learning opportunities: professionals' and students' experience of interprofessional learning and working: Advice for providing academic support. Advice for mentors. Advice for students. Scenarios for interprofessional

This resource to support interprofessional learning has been developed after consulting students and qualified health and social care professionals about their experience of learning and working together. Students and staff were interviewed about their experiences of interprofessional learning and working during an evaluation of an interprofessional curriculum delivered in the School of Health and Social Care, University of the West of England (UWE), Bristol. Data collected included 105 interviews with 94 students from a range of professions. The curriculum included three interprofessional modules, one in each of three years of study. In these modules students worked together in small groups through enquiry based learning. During a research project funded by the Higher Education Academy Health Sciences and Practice Subject Centre a further 29 interviews were conducted with 13 adult nurses, 5 physiotherapists, 4 midwives and 7 social workers, all of whom had been students at UWE, Bristol before or after the introduction of the interprofessional curriculum. During the interviews with these qualified professionals, they described experiences, identified skills necessary for effective interprofessional working and offered advice about making the most of interprofessional learning opportunities.A full report of the research funded by the Higher Education Academy Health Sciences and Practice Subject Centre provides detailed information about the views of qualified professionals. This report: Pollard K, Rickaby C and Miers M (2008) Evaluating student learning in an interprofessional curriculum: the relevance of pre-qualifying interprofessional education for future professional practice is available from:http://www.health.heacademy.ac.uk/projects/miniprojects/completeproj.htmReports of the interprofessional curriculum evaluation conducted at UWE, Bristol, and details of publications from the longitudinal study are available from http://hsc.uwe.ac.uk/net/research/Default.aspx?pageindex=2&pageid=29In this resource, direct quotes from the students’ and professionals’ interviews help to clarify the advice for providing academic support, advice for mentors and advice for students. The suggestions and advice included in the resource derive from careful analysis of a range of data from three student cohorts, (now qualified professionals) in one faculty and careful consideration of literature exploring staff and student experience of interprofessional learning and working, as well as personal experience as professionals and as learners

Career choices in health care: Is nursing a special case? A content analysis of survey data

Background: As demand for nurses and other health professionals continues to outstrip supply it is important to understand what motivates individuals to join a non-medical health profession. Objectives: The objectives of this study were to investigate students' reasons for choosing a particular nursing specialism, midwifery or other non-medical health profession, and to compare motivation factors across professions, gender, age, level of award, prior qualifications, prior experience and over time. Design: A prospective follow-up study collected survey responses at the beginning and end of pre-qualifying professional programmes. Setting: The study took place in one large United Kingdom faculty. Participants: The study participants were 775 first-year students undertaking non-medical health professional programmes and 393 qualifying students. Methods: An open-ended question was included in a self-completed questionnaire administered at entry and at qualification. Content analysis identified themes. Results: Altruism was the most frequently cited reason for wishing to join a non-medical health profession, followed by personal interest/abilities, professional values/rewards, and prior experience of the area. Students entering nursing were less likely to cite an altruistic motivation than those entering other non-medical health professions (χ2 = 21.61, df=1, p < 0.001). On entry, adult nursing, children's nursing and radiotherapy students were least likely to cite professional values/rewards (χ2 = 20.38, df=8, p = 0.009). Students on degree level programmes were more likely to report altruism than those on diploma level courses (χ2 = 17.37, df=1, p < 0.001). Differences were also identified between the two data collection points. The number of students identifying altruism (χ2 = 3.97, p = 0.046) and professional values/rewards (χ2 = 6.67, p = 0.010) decreased over time. Conclusion: Findings suggest that although a service orientation remains a key factor in choosing nursing, students also look for a career which matches their interests and attributes, as well as offering professional values and rewards. Nursing may be in danger of losing service orientated recruits to other non-medical health professions. © 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

Learning to work together: Health and social care students' learning from interprofessional modules

This paper reports on a study of student learning about collaboration and discusses the effectiveness of different forms of assessment in facilitating learning. The study was conducted in a large health and social care faculty in which all students on pre-qualifying professional programmes learn together in modules aimed at developing collaborative skills. Data about student learning were collected through interviews with 42 students and analysis of 53 students' completed assignments. The paper focuses on two questions: (1) What did students learn about collaborating in groups and about their own collaborative skills? (2) Which forms of assessment were effective in recording this learning? Interview and assignment data demonstrated that students learned about groups and group participation, about themselves in group situations and about the relevance of interprofessional learning to working collaboratively in professional practice. Module 3 (third year) assessments provided evidence of transference of learning from module to practice. Whereas learning logs, completed during the module as a form of reflective assessment, appeared to promote self-awareness about own collaborative skills, reflective essays, completed after module sessions had ended, provided more opportunities for analysis and to link theory to practice. © 2009 Taylor & Francis

"oh why didn't i take more notice?" Professionals' views and perceptions of pre-qualifying preparation for interprofessional working in practice

It is widely assumed that interprofessional learning (IPL) impacts positively on interprofessional working (IPW) in health and social care. However, there is no clear evidence that pre-qualifying IPL improves service delivery. The direct effect of pre-qualifying IPL on IPW and service delivery is difficult to demonstrate; researchers must rely on professionals' self-report in this regard. This paper presents findings from a qualitative study in which semi-structured interviews were used to collect individuals' views and perceptions about pre-qualifying IPL as preparation for practice. Two groups of participants came from four health and social care professions: adult nursing, midwifery, physiotherapy and social work. One group had experienced a substantial pre-qualifying IPL initiative, while the other group had not. Useful insights were gained from comparing the views and perceptions of individuals from these two groups. The total sample comprised 29 practitioners: 19 were educated on interprofessional curricula and 10 on traditional uniprofessional curricula. Thematic data analysis produced findings about pre-qualifying education as preparation for IPW. These findings suggest that pre-qualifying IPL can prepare individuals to work effectively as qualified professionals with colleagues from other disciplines and that effective IPW impacts positively on service delivery. © 2012 Informa UK, Ltd

Online interprofessional learning: The student experience

Health and social care students in a faculty in the United Kingdom learn together in an interprofessional module through online discussion boards. The module assessment encourages engagement with technology and with group members through peer review. An evaluation of student experience of the module gathered data from 48 students participating in 10 online groups. Analysis of contributions to discussion boards, and transcripts of interviews with 20 students revealed differing levels of participation between individuals and groups. Many students were apprehensive about the technology and there were different views about the advantages and disadvantages of online learning. Students interacted in a supportive manner. Group leadership was seen as associated with maintaining motivation to complete work on time. Students reported benefiting from the peer review process but were uncomfortable with critiquing each other's work. Sensitivity about group process may have inhibited the level of critical debate. Nevertheless the module brought together students from different professions and different sites. Examples of sharing professional knowledge demonstrated successful interprofessional collaboration online