“Adaptable to Unexpected Situations”: Nursing and Social Work Students Reflect on Interprofessional Communication and Teamwork

Undergraduate nursing students partnered with undergraduate and graduate social work students to implement school-based health promotion and empowerment modules in fulfillment of their practicum coursework. Of the four domains outlined by the Interprofessional Education Collaborative, two in particular were the focus of this nursing-social work collaboration: communication and teamwork. The purpose of this paper is to describe the perceptions of students regarding their experiences of interprofessional communication and teamwork. METHODS A sample of 26 nursing students and 5 social work students worked together across two academic semesters at an urban, primarily Hispanic middle school. Data collection consisted of reflective journals and end-of-semester evaluations. Conventional methods of content analysis were used to examine the narrative data for emergent patterns or themes. RESULTS Analysis of students’ reflective journals and evaluations revealed specific themes regarding the value of interprofessional education (IPE), the utility of TeamSTEPPSTM as a resource for improving communication and team performance, lessons learned, and recommendations for the future. CONCLUSION Nursing and social work students expressed positive experiences with IPE and shared insights beneficial for future planning. With advanced preparation and strategic partnerships, IPE projects may strengthen the collaborative skills necessary for students to be practice-ready upon graduation. Received: 05/30/2017 Accepted: 10/16/2017 © 2017 Alexander, Bashore, & Jackson. This open access article is distributed under a Creative Commons Attribution License, which allows unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. H IP & “Adaptable to Unexpected Situations” ORIGINAL RESEARCH 2(4):eP1134 | 2 Background/Introduction To prepare for effective interprofessional practice, nursing and social work students in an urban private university engage in diverse clinical and field experiences, building the core competencies of teamwork, collaboration, roles/responsibilities, and values/ethics (Interprofessional Education Collaborative Expert Panel, 2011). Of the four competency domains outlined by the Interprofessional Education Collaborative (2011), two in particular were the focus of a collaborative nursing-social work project: communication and teamwork. The purpose of this paper is to describe the perceptions of students regarding their experiences of interprofessional education (IPE) as they developed and implemented a school-based health promotion project.