Prior experience of interprofessional learning enhances undergraduate nursing and healthcare students' professional identity and attitudes to teamwork.
BACKGROUND
How willing are today's medical, nursing and other healthcare students to undertake some of their studies as shared learning? There is a lack of evidence of students' views by discipline despite this being a priority task for higher education sectors. This study explored the views of nursing, midwifery, nursing-emergency health (paramedic), medical, physiotherapy and nutrition-dietetics students.


METHODS
Senior undergraduate students from six disciplines at one university completed the Readiness for Interprofessional Learning Scale prior to participating in interprofessional clinical learning modules.


RESULTS
For 741 students, the highest ranked response was agreement about a need for teamwork (mean 4.42 of 5 points). Nursing students held significantly more positive attitudes towards Teamwork/Collaboration, and were more positive about Professional Identity than medical students (p < .001). Midwifery and nursing-emergency-health students rejected uncertainty about Roles/Responsibilities compared with medical students (p < .001). One-third of all students who had prior experience of interprofessional learning held more positive attitudes in each of four attitude domains (p < .05).


CONCLUSIONS
Overall, students' attitudes towards interprofessional learning were positive and all student groups were willing to engage in learning interprofessionally. Early introduction of IPL is recommended. Further studies should explore the trajectory of students' attitudes throughout the university degree.
Southern Clinical School, Monash University, Wellington Road, Clayton, VIC 3168, Australia; School of Nursing and Midwifery, Monash University, Wellington Road, Clayton, VIC 3168, Australia. Electronic address: kerry.hood@monash.edu.
Kerry
K
Hood
School of Nursing and Midwifery, Monash University, Wellington Road, Clayton, VIC 3168, Australia.
Robyn
R
Cant
Southern Clinical School, Monash University, Monash Medical Centre, 246 Clayton Road, Clayton, VIC 3168, Australia.
Julie
J
Baulch
Southern Clinical School, Monash University, Monash Medical Centre, 246 Clayton Road, Clayton, VIC 3168, Australia.
Alana
A
Gilbee
Southern Clinical School, Monash University, Monash Medical Centre, 246 Clayton Road, Clayton, VIC 3168, Australia.
Michelle
M
Leech
Southern Clinical School, Monash University, Monash Medical Centre, 246 Clayton Road, Clayton, VIC 3168, Australia.
Amanda
A
Anderson
Southern Clinical School, Monash University, Monash Medical Centre, 246 Clayton Road, Clayton, VIC 3168, Australia.
Kate
K
Davies
D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D003299:Cooperative Behavior; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D058025:Interdisciplinary Studies; D008297:Male; D010348:Patient Care Team / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000592:standards*; D024382:Professional Role; D013336:Students, Health Occupations / Q000523:psychology; D013338:Students, Nursing / Q000523:psychology*
Attitude; Interprofessional; Interprofessional learning; Nursing; Undergraduate students