Attitudes and Perceptions of Non-Clinical Health Care Students’ Towards Interprofessional Learning

Abstract

Background Research on interprofessional learning and education has primarily focused on undergraduate programs, intervention-based programs and clinical programs. Efforts should also be made to examine attitudes of graduate students who are enrolled in non-clinical health profession programs. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to explore attitudes of non-clinical graduate health care students towards interprofessional learning and to examine differences in these attitudes and perceptions among students from differing university health programs. Methods: A quantitative survey adapted from the Readiness for Interprofessional Learning Scale survey was sent to students enrolled in non-clinical graduate health programs at a university. A demographic section was added to collect information about the participants. Results: Two hundred and ninety six students from eight different health programs participated in this study, representing an 85.54% completion rate. Of the total respondents, 47.6% were enrolled in the Doctor of Health Science program and 55.5% worked in health organizations. Findings suggested that students in different health programs considered teamwork and collaboration important to function in health care. Students felt that focus on interprofessional learning may lead to improvement in communication and problem-solving abilities. Conclusion: Implementation of interprofessional learning curricula may enhance understanding of the work of other health professionals which could result in better patient care. These findings could help educational institutions as they advance towards implementing interprofessional educational curricula