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Pre-registration nursing programmes have been criticized for not adequately preparing nurses to work with children and young people with mental health issues. This article highlights the importance of developing strategies across traditional branch boundaries to remedy this curricula deficit. In 2007, the School of Health Science at Swansea University began an interprofessional initiative between mental health and child branches and designed a 2-day child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) workshop in collaboration with a local specialist CAMHS nurse.

Interprofessional working is an important NHS policy aim (Department of Health 2000; Barrett et al 2005), which has meant that interprofessional education (IPE) is an increasingly important topic for higher education institutions (Caldwell and Atwal, 2003; Barr and Ross, 2006). The argument for IPE is based on the assumption that it will enhance interprofessional working and assist in ameliorating many of the challenges of contemporary health-care. However, there is a dearth of evidence of the effectiveness of IPE in the UK, particularly at undergraduate level.

This article describes how a system of interprofessional learning was established and developed. It gives practical tips on implementation and some short case studies demonstrating how students have benefited from this approach.

PubMed URL: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19950458

As more educators are involved in interprofessional education (IPE) it is important to consider how participation affects those who are sceptical about IPE. We report a prospective study in which the attitudes of 13 educators, unfamiliar with IPE, were compared before and after facilitating their first IPE. Their views, obtained as personal stories, were analysed through cognitive dissonance theory. Prior to teaching, all novice educators had concerns about IPE. Post-facilitation all were more positive about the value and meaning of IPE.

PubMed URL: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21425913

This article draws on the findings from a mixed methods study with practitioners who qualified from joint training programmes in learning disability nursing and social work and explores the impact on professional identity of such programmes. Although several joint programmes are well established, very little research has been carried out with those who have qualified from them. These practitioners have experienced a kind of training quite unlike that offered by singular education programmes, incorporating a dual socialisation process, which has been neither analysed nor theorised.

OBJECTIVES:

To report the extent to which the placement of paramedic practitioner students (PPSs) in accredited general practice (GP) training practices supported their development as autonomous, patient-centred practitioners and fostered interprofessional learning.

DESIGN:

A case study method was used. Sources of data included semi-structured telephone interviews (eight PPSs, eight GP trainers), an online end of placement survey and placement and assessment documentation. Interview data were transcribed and analysed using the constant comparative method.

BACKGROUND:

Interprofessional education (IPE) is a process through which students are provided with learning opportunities with other professions aiming to improve client care. The need to include effective IPE in preregistration programmes for health professionals is increasingly being recognised. The overall aim of the present study was to explore the perceptions and experiences of final-year dietetics students of IPE delivered through interactive online learning groups.

METHODS:

This article argues for the need for theory in the practice of interprofessional education. It highlights the range of theories available to interprofessional educators and promotes the practical application of these to interprofessional learning and teaching. It summarises the AMEE Guides in Medical Education publication entitled Theoretical Insights into Interprofessional Education: AMEE Guide No.

Practice development (PD), as a framework for multiprofessional working, has immense potential, specifically within change management and the clinical governance agenda. It has been acknowledged as a vehicle for 'continuous improvement'. This article discusses PD through collaborative working using the example of a case study on change of practice in falls reduction within a localised community setting. The process is underpinned by a PD framework and facilitated by leaders of PD within a university setting.