Safe Place

Abstract

Interprofessional collaborative practice (ICP) is an essential skill in today’s healthcare environment that can be cultivated through interprofessional education (IPE) in higher education, as students are in the process of developing their professional identities. Undergraduate social work field students and nursing students in clinical rotation explored their experiences together in clinical supervision groups co-led by instructors from both fields. Researchers used a mixed methods approach to measure changes in feelings and skills related to ICP among students who participated in clinical supervision groups. Eighteen nursing and social work students participated; those involved in the interprofessional clinical supervision groups performed better on the Inter-professional Socialization and Valuing Scale (ISVS) than the comparison group. Qualitative themes indicated that students enhanced their interprofessional knowledge; improved their interprofessional communication skills; and increased their comfort levels on an interprofessional team. Implications and suggestions for implementation are discussed.