Integrating Interprofessional Education Opportunities into a Mental Health Placement Model: Stakeholders Experiences

Interprofessional education (IPE) is essential to prepare healthcare students to work collaboratively once they enter the mental health workforce. However, there is limited research exploring IPE for students in a mental health service context. This study aimed to explore stakeholder experiences of a work-integrated learning (WIL) placement model with embedded IPE opportunities for clinical psychology and occupational therapy students in a youth mental health service in Australia. Students (n=9), staff (n=12) and clients (n=10) involved in the model participated in semi-structured interviews. A template thematic analysis derived five themes from the data: placement model valuable for all stakeholders, students' interprofessional learning, the role of the clinical educators, contrasting expectations of students' workload, and challenges of piloting new models of care. The findings from this research highlight the value and challenges of WIL placements featuring IPE in mental health settings, providing useful future directions to organizations hoping to implement similar models.