Investigating Students’ Perceptions of the Implementation of Interprofessional Education

Abstract

Interprofessional education (IPE) includes two or more disciplines learning together effectively to achieve the goal of providing their future patients or clients with the highest quality, interdisciplinary care. To facilitate IPE experiences at appropriate levels for students, faculty need a sense of their current level of exposure to and knowledge about IPE. The purpose of this study was to describe the experiences and knowledge of students at the University of Wisconsin – Eau Claire (UWEC) about IPE, based on their undergraduate courses and extracurricular activities. Further, perspectives of graduate students were included to determine how undergraduate learning impacts graduate study. Undergraduate and graduate students at UWEC completed a survey designed to gauge their current knowledge and experiences with IPE in their educational and professional experiences. Qualitative analysis of student definitions of IPE indicated that over half of the students did not know what IPE was or had inaccurate perceptions of IPE. Despite difficulty defining IPE, once the definition was provided for them, students generally agreed that their classes have provided them with experiences in IPE, and they generally agreed that they were confident in their IPE skills. Quantitative and qualitative data to describe their experiences and confidence will be shared.