title: Inter-professional learning: discussion groups in a minor surgery skills course for nurses.
abstract: Inter-professional teaching and learning takes many forms. This paper describes an inter-professional educational intervention using structured discussion groups of nurses and medical students within an innovative course on minor surgery for nurses. During an initial course, nurses were required to demonstrate competence in technical and communication skills by undergoing scenario-based assessments. Unhelpful levels of anxiety before and after these assessments interfered with learning and performance. Semi-structured discussion groups facilitated by medical students were introduced during a second course, running parallel with assessments and replacing the self-directed activities scheduled in the pilot course. Written evaluations and group interviews explored participants' experiences of taking part in these discussion groups. Results indicate that the groups were successful in reducing unhelpful anxiety and that they conferred additional benefits for both nurses and medical students. Future courses incorporating these inter-professional learning opportunities will evaluate immediate and longer-term benefits in greater depth.
authors.affiliation: Senior Lecturer, Centre for Medical and Health Sciences Education, Monash University, Building 15, Clayton, Vic. 3800, Australia.
authors.forename: Debra
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Nestel
authors.forename: Roger
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kneebone
authors.forename: Shirley
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Martin