Interprofessional Education: Let’s Listen to the Students
Authors: Meeks Maggie , Milligan Kaye , Seaton Philippa , Josland Heather 
Published: October 2023

The inclusion of interprofessional education (IPE) within the pre-registration curricular is a way to promote interprofessional collaboration. Interprofessional education is increasingly supported by academic organisations and service providers, but pre-registration professional education is still often conducted within professional silos, which may compromise the collaborative ideal. During a socialisation activity as part of an IPE intervention, pre-registration nursing (NS=94) and medical students (MS=126) were invited to anonymously write down on a post-it note a question they wanted to address to the healthcare profession other than their own. These questions (NS=77 and MS=89) were then discussed in a facilitated interprofessional group session. Using a qualitative approach, the written data was subsequently inductively analysed using descriptive thematic analysis. The three main themes that were identified were knowledge, perceptions and relationships. More specifically, these themes explored a lack of knowledge of each profession, misperceptions and a desire to develop professional relationships. The questions that students asked in this study validates the need for IPE which is to learn with, from, and about each other. Reducing these knowledge gaps and misunderstandings should be the first stage in interprofessional learning and improving communication and teamwork. Te reo Māori translation Te akoranga whakawhiti umanga: Kia whakarongo tātou ki ngā ākonga Ngā Ariā Matua Ko te whakaurunga o te akoranga whakawhiti umanga (IPE) i roto i ngā marautanga i mua i te rēhita tētahi huarahi whakatairanga i te pāhekoheko whakawhiti umanga. E piki haere tonu ana te tautoko i te akoranga whakawhiti umanga e ngā rōpū mātauranga hōhonu me ngā kaihora ratonga, engari kawea tonutia ai ngā akoranga umanga i mua i te rēhita i roto i ngā wehenga umanga motuhake, e āraia ai pea te hiahia kia pāhekoheko ēnei umanga. I roto i tētahi ngohe whakahoahoa hei wāhanga o tētahi haukotinga akoranga whakawhiti umanga, i pōwhiritia matataputia ētahi akonga tapuhi i mua i te rēhita (NS=94) me ētahi ākonga tākuta (MS=126) kia tuhi tātou i tētahi pātai e hiahia ana rātou kia tukua ki te umanga hauora, hāunga tō rātou umanga ake, ki tētahi maramara pepa tāpiri. I matapakitia ēnei pātai (77 mai i ngā ākonga tapuhi, ā, 89 mai i ngā ākonga tākuta) i roto i tētahi wātū matapaki ā-rōpū whakawhiti umanga i āta arahina. Nā te whakamahi i ētahi huarahi kounga, i tātaritia torowhānuitia ngā raraunga tuhi i muri, nā te whakamahi tātari tāhuhu whakaahua. Ko ngā tāhuhu matua e toru i tautohutia ko te mātauranga, ko ngā kitenga me ngā hononga. Me kī, i tūhura ia tāhuhu pēnei i te korenga o te mōhiotanga ki ia umanga, ki ngā kitenga hē, me te hiahia kia whakapakaritia ngā hononga ngaio. Nā ngā pātai i tukua e ngā ākonga i tēnei rangahau, ka kitea te tika o te ako a ngā kaupapa akoranga whakawhiti umanga kia ako i te taha o ia rōpū, mai i ia rōpū, kia ako mō ia rōpū anō hoki. Me noho ko te whakahekenga o ēnei āputa mōhiotanga me ngā māramatanga hē hei hīkoi tuatahi mō te akoranga whakawhiti mōhiotanga, me te whakapiki i te whakawhitinga kōrero me te mahi hei tira. Ngā kupu matua: pāhekoheko, whakawhiti kōrero, akoranga whakawhiti umanga, ngā ākonga tākuta, ngā ākonga tapuhi, i mua o te rēhita, te whakahoahoa.