Interprofessional education and collaboration in health and social care have become significant items on Canada’s policy agenda. As a result, they are receiving attention from different levels of government, health services/academic institutions and regulatory bodies (e.g. Cote, Lauzon, & Kyd-Strickland, 2008). To date, however, only a limited number of studies have focused on the longer-term effects interprofessional education can have on individuals’ collaborative practices (Barr, Koppel, Reeves, Hammick, & Freeth, 2005). This article provides a report on the findings from a 12-week graduate level course, which aimed to improve participants’ knowledge in a range of interprofessional issues (e.g. nature of professional friction) as well as expose learners to key research studies and theories related to this field.
This interprofessional graduate elective course was situated in the masters of nursing program at a university based in Canada. Twenty students were enrolled in the course. They represented two professional groups – nursing and nutrition. Teaching approaches included interactive classroom lectures, student-led and self-directed learning. The course focused on exploring a range of issues relevant to interprofessional education and collaboration, which were discussed by use of the associated empirical and theoretical literature.
Read more: Journal of Interprofessional Care, May 2011, Vol. 25 (2): 226-227.
Ilona Alex Abramovich, Sherry Espin, Abigail Wickson-Griffiths, Dale Dematteo, Lindsay Baker, Eileen Egan-Lee, Scott Reeves.