In 2005, the Centre for Collaborative Health Professional Education at Memorial
University in Canada commenced an inquiry into the interprofessional education
(IPE) of social work students. In the 2005/2006 academic year, undergraduate social
work students were introduced to an IPE program at Memorial University for the
first time. This interdisciplinary initiative brought together students from pharmacy,
nursing, medicine, and social work to develop and encourage interprofessional
educational activities with the purpose of increasing collaborative patient-centered
practice competencies of students and professionals (Sharpe & Curran, 2006). In the
subsequent three academic years (2005/2006, 2006/2007, 2007/2008) Bachelor of
Social Work (BSW) students explored a variety of IPE modules. This paper
summarizes the available literature on the topic of IPE and reports on data collected
from three cohorts of undergraduate social work students regarding their attitudes
toward interdisciplinary team practice. Data collected are in relation to the Health
and Wellbeing of Children module, one of the five module topics in which these
students participated over the three-year period. It is proposed that by understanding
student attitudes as they are evidenced at this early stage of professional
development, valuable information will be provided to educators to inform best
practices in the teaching and learning of interprofessional practice skills within the
discipline of social work. Finally, the authors provide suggested directions for future
research