Lightning Talk

Digital Professionalism Among Interprofessional Healthcare Students: A Concept Analysis

Tuesday, September 16, 2025, 1:15 pm - 2:15 pm CDT
digital professionalisminterprofessional educationconcept analysis

This lighting talk will present a concept analysis about digital professionalism among interprofessional healthcare students. Digital technologies within healthcare and social media have become intertwined with the personal, academic, and professional lives of interprofessional healthcare students. This talk aims to explore how interprofessional education (IPE) can integrate the concept of digital professionalism to prepare future interprofessional healthcare professionals to maintain ethical standards, safeguard patient privacy, and uphold professional integrity in a digital context.

The concept analysis addresses Theme 3: “Building the Evidence Base for Interprofessional Practice and Education.” Specifically, this talk focuses on improving IPE by providing an operational definition of digital professionalism across multiple healthcare disciplines. By providing an operational definition, IPE educators and institutions can refine curricula and enhance learner outcomes to improve IPE in the digital era.

Participants will gain insight into: (1) the core attributes of digital professionalism across healthcare disciplines; (2) suggestions for embedding digital professionalism within IPE curricula; and (3) creating digital conduct guidelines for interprofessional healthcare students to assess professionalism in digital environments.

By clarifying and operationalizing digital professionalism, educators can guide interprofessional healthcare students towards responsible digital behaviours. This enhances students' preparedness for professional online interactions, increases awareness of appropriate digital conduct, and improves patient and team experiences in digital healthcare spaces.

This concept analysis supports the priority criteria of including students on the author team. This Lightning talk is authored by a Master of Nursing student, bringing direct insights from current IPE experiences. This involvement demonstrates a student’s perspective on future interprofessional curricula redesign and implementation, emphasizing the critical role learns play in IPE practices and design.