Purpose: The COVID-19 pandemic challenged healthcare practice worldwide. Ensuring effective collaboration between professionals is essential to meet population health needs during crisis. However knowledge on how to best prepare health professionals for interprofessional collaboration in crises is limited. Interprofessional education for collaborative practice (IPECP) during students’ pre-licensure education is an important primer for collaborative practice and supports interprofessional identity development. Few studies have followed health professions students longitudinally from pre-licensure into professional practice to understand how IPECP supports readiness for collaborative practice. This study explored how interprofessional socialization and identity development was experienced by new healthcare professionals upon entry to practice within the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Methods:
An interpretive, narrative methodology was used to understand how interprofessional socialization was experienced and perceived by new healthcare professionals during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the influence of pandemic contexts on interprofessional identity development. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 24 individuals from a longitudinal study of professional socialization across five health professions at a Canadian institution.
Findings:
The pandemic was identified as a key ‘critical incident’ that set a unique stage for collaboration and teamwork. The COVID crisis was a catalyst for team formation, and enhanced new professionals’ understanding and value of collaboration. Exposure to teams within the context of constrained resources/settings enabled meaningful socialization between professionals. Complex and urgent patient care scenarios were found to repress professional hierarches. Routinely working alongside others and experiencing collaborative behaviours during challenging events enhanced team commitment. Practicing professionals found solutions to overcome barriers to interprofessional collaboration and pandemic contexts facilitated the creation of innovative interprofessional practice spaces and teams.
Discussion:
This research makes a unique contribution to our understanding of the process of preparing students for interprofessional collaborative practice by identifying how interprofessional collaboration is facilitated within pandemic scenarios, contexts and practice settings. Our research informs key factors for collaboration that direct strategic and meaningful IPECP development. Our findings solidify that repeated exposure to interprofessional teamwork across diverse settings and scenarios is needed for practitioners to develop skills, attitudes and behaviours for collaboration and an interprofessional identity. Engaging healthcare students early in pre-licensure IPECP and ongoing within practice can support the development of resilient, collaborative healthcare teams and systems in future crises.
This lightning talk addresses conference priority criteria: measurable learning and health outcomes; inclusion of one or more students/learners on the author or presenter team.
In support of improving patient care, this activity is planned and implemented by The National Center for Interprofessional Practice and Education Office of Interprofessional Continuing Professional Development (National Center OICPD). The National Center OICPD is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) to provide continuing education for the healthcare team.
As a Jointly Accredited Provider, the National Center is approved to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Organizations, not individual courses, are approved under this program. State and provincial regulatory boards have the final authority to determine whether an individual course may be accepted for continuing education credit. The National Center maintains responsibility for this course. Social workers completing this course receive continuing education credits.
The National Center OICPD (JA#: 4008105) is approved by the Board of Certification, Inc. to provide continuing education to Athletic Trainers (ATs).
This activity was planned by and for the healthcare team, and learners will receive Interprofessional Continuing Education (IPCE) credit for learning and change.
Physicians: The National Center for Interprofessional Practice and Education designates this live activity for AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Physicians should only claim credit commensurate with their participation.
Physician Assistants: The American Academy of Physician Assistants (AAPA) accepts credit from organizations accredited by the ACCME.
Nurses: Participants will be awarded contact hours of credit for attendance at this workshop.
Nurse Practitioners: The American Academy of Nurse Practitioners Certification Program (AANPCP) accepts credit from organizations accredited by the ACCME and ANCC.
Pharmacists and Pharmacy Technicians: This activity is approved for contact hours.
Athletic Trainers: This program is eligible for Category A hours/CEUs. ATs should claim only those hours actually spent in the educational program.
Social Workers: As a Jointly Accredited Organization, the National Center is approved to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Organizations, not individual courses, are approved under this program. State and provincial regulatory boards have the final authority to determine whether an individual course may be accepted for continuing education credit. The National Center maintains responsibility for this course. Social workers completing this course receive continuing education credits.
IPCE: This activity was planned by and for the healthcare team, and learners will receive Interprofessional Continuing Education (IPCE) credits for learning and change.
Learners can claim CE credit by completing the Daily Evaluation.
