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First Contact: interprofessional education based on medical students' experiences from their nursing internship

Authors :
Eich-Krohm, Astrid
Kaufmann, Alexandra
Winkler-Stuck, Kirstin
Werwick, Katrin
Spura, Anke
Robra, Bernt-Peter
Source :
GMS Journal for Medical Education, Vol 33, Iss 2, p Doc20 (2016)
Publication Year :
2016
Publisher :
German Medical Science GMS Publishing House, 2016.

Abstract

Goal: The aim of the course “interprofessional communication and nursing” is to reflect medical students’ experiences from the nursing internship. The content of the course focuses on barriers and support of interprofessional communication as a foundation for teamwork between nursing professionals and physicians. The nursing internship is for most medical students the first contact with nursing professionals and can lead to perceptions about the other group that might hinder interprofessional teamwork and consequently harm patients. To meet the demographic challenges ahead it is important to emphasize interprofessional education in the study of medicine and better prepare future physicians for interprofessional collaboration. Method: The design of the course includes an assessment of a change in the students’ perceptions about nursing and interprofessional communication. The first class meeting presents the starting point of the assessment and visualizes students’ perceptions of nursing and medicine. The content of the following class meetings serve to enhance the students’ knowledge about nursing as a profession with its own theories, science and scholarship. In addition, all students have to write a research paper that entails to interview one nursing professional and one physician about their ideas of interprofessional communication and to compare the interviews with their own experiences from the nursing internship. To access what students learned during the course a reflective discussion takes place at the last meeting combined with an analysis of the students’ research papers. Results: The assessment of the students’ perceptions about the nursing profession and the importance of successful interprofessional communication showed a new and deeper understanding of the topic. They were able to identify barriers and support measures of interprofessional communication and their own responsibilities as part of a team.Conclusion: Interprofessional education is an important part of medical education and should be a topic from the beginning. The assessment of the course shows that it is possible and important to integrate the topic early in the curriculum.

Details

Language :
German, English
ISSN :
23665017
Volume :
33
Issue :
2
Database :
Directory of Open Access Journals
Journal :
GMS Journal for Medical Education
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
edsdoj.1b7b22f941304ef3a2ce4bb300f32350
Document Type :
article
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.3205/zma001019