An Interprofessional Education Initiative between Psychology and Dentistry: An Exploration of Students' Perceptions of Confidence

Part of preparing future health professionals for multidisciplinary work environments involves interprofessional education (IPE). We explore students' perceptions of confidence during IPE and how this impacts their ability to contribute to interprofessional learning. The written reflections of 115 undergraduate Psychology (n = 58) and Dentistry (n = 57) students aged 19-47 years (median = 22 years) who participated in two sessions of IPE utilising motivational interviewing to encourage health behaviour change were analysed. Six themes were identified: Concerns about Confidence Resulted in Additional Prior Preparation, Lack of Confidence as an Impediment to Contribution, An Increase in Confidence as a Result of Doing, Recognising the Value of Confidence, Confidence as an Area for Further Development, and Confidence from the Outset. The importance of confidence in impacting students' ability to actively contribute in IPE should not be underestimated. Educators should seek to maximise student confidence and to create a safe learning environment where further confidence can be built. Further research is needed to determine factors that may boost confidence including the optimal time to incorporate IPE in degree programmes, the best format in which to deliver IPE, and how much IPE to deliver.