Piloting Interprofessional Education Interventions with Veterinary and Veterinary Nursing Students

Abstract

Interprofessional education (IPE) has received little attention in veterinary education even though members of the veterinary and nursing professions work closely together. The present study investigates veterinary and veterinary nursing students' and practitioners' experiences with interprofessional issues and the potential benefits of IPE. Based on stakeholder consultations, two teaching interventions were modified or developed for use with veterinary and veterinary nursing students: Talking Walls, which aimed to increase individuals' understanding of each other's roles, and an Emergency-Case Role-Play Scenario, which aimed to improve teamwork. These interventions were piloted with volunteer veterinary and veterinary nursing students who were recruited through convenience sampling. A questionnaire (the Readiness for Interprofessional Learning Scale [RIPLS]) was modified for use in veterinary education and used to investigate changes in attitudes toward IPE over time (pre-intervention, immediately post-intervention, and four to five months afterward). The results showed an immediate and significant positive change in attitude after the intervention, highlighting the students' willingness to learn collaboratively, their ability to recognize the benefits of IPE, a decreased sense of professional isolation, and reduced hierarchical views. Although nearly half of the students felt concerned about learning with students from another profession before the intervention, the majority (97%) enjoyed learning together. However, the positive change in attitude was not evident four to five months after the intervention, though attitudes remained above pre-intervention levels. The results of the pilot study were encouraging and emphasize the relevance and importance of veterinary IPE as well as the need for further investigation to explore methods of sustaining a change in attitude over time.

Errors in veterinary practice: preliminary lessons for building better veterinary teams

“…It is likely that in the modern world the number of complaints and subsequent investigations regarding patient outcomes will increase, so for good professional reasons and to avoid negative consequences, attention needs to focus on better interprofessional interactions such as communication. This has implications for both professional skills education in veterinary surgeon and veterinary nursing curricula (Kinnison and others 2011), as well as staff development in veterinary practices. The presence of error needs to be accepted within a no‐blame (or ‘just’) culture which allows errors to be reported and dealt with effectively.…”

Owner and veterinary surgeon perspectives on the roles of veterinary nurses and receptionists in relation to small animal preventive healthcare consultations in the United Kingdom

“…The largest body of published research to include veterinary nurses and receptionists has focused on the importance of, and tensions related to, integrating them into a veterinary team. [2][3][4][5] Alongside traditional roles in health, wellbeing and as guardians of animal welfare, 6 veterinary nurses now have a range of responsibilities. These include performing consultations 7 and minor surgeries, 2 running educational interventions 8 and providing complex inpatient care.…”

Internal consistency of the readiness for interprofessional learning scale in German health care students and professionals

“…It has been used in different English speaking countries (UK [8,9], US [10,11], Canada [12,13], Australia [14-17], New Zealand [18]), different settings (undergraduate [18-20], postgraduate [21], non-Western [22]) and among a wide range of health professions (for example: physicians, nurses, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, speech therapists, physician assistants, dietetics, pharmacists, dentists, social workers). It was developed in 1999 by Parsell and Bligh based on evidence from the literature and expert panel input.…”