Twelve possible strategies for enhancing interprofessional socialisation in higher education: Findings from an interpretive phenomenological study

Abstract

The aim of this study was to investigate the interprofessional socialisation experiences of health professional educators (HPEs) across five health science faculties in Perth, Australia. Evidence supported the importance of educators teaching and learning together, although there was minimal evidence with regard to the type of support HPEs received or required in order to socialise interprofessionally within higher education. Interview participants comprised 26 HPEs from various health-related professions across Western Australia. An interpretive phenomenological framework was used to discover the phenomena of interprofessional socialisation. The examination of the data was undertaken via qualitative content analysis with the aid of NVivo 10 software. Content coding led to the development of categories, sub-categories, and then themes. Five themes were identified; however, only one of these themes, "interprofessional socialisation strategies within higher education," is explored within this article. Based on the data within this theme, 12 possible socialisation strategies (formal and informal) were identified for HPEs, which could be implemented within health science faculties, taking into account the organisation's culture and strategic intent towards interprofessional collaboration and education.

Comparing Interprofessional Socialization in Mixed-Discipline and Nursing Student–Only Cohorts

“…The health professional educators in this study indicated that there was a lack of socialization preventing them from integrating to their faculty roles and further delaying collaborative work (Stanley et al, 2016). Participants offered a total of 100 suggestions for improving IS leading to 12 formal and informal strategies.…”

“…educators have been explored. An interpretive phenomenological study included 26 health professional educators to discover the phenomena of IS (Stanley, Dixon, Warner, & Stanley, 2016). This study utilized purposeful sampling to ensure representation of professions.…”

“…Interviews were completed face to face by the same researcher. A theme of IS strategies within higher education emerged in the analysis (Stanley et al, 2016).…”

“…The first strategy is for interprofessional leaders or representatives. Participants indicated a key individual is needed to connect faculty across diverse groups (Stanley et al, 2016). Next respondents noted a need for interprofessional workshops.…”

“…Next respondents noted a need for interprofessional workshops. These workshops would provide an environment for sharing teaching strategies and curriculum development across disciplines (Stanley et al, 2016). In addition, a need for professional development opportunities was discussed.…”