Interprofessional Education Perceptions in School Nursing and Teaching: A Basic Qualitative Study

Nurses provide autonomous and collaborative care to individuals of all ages, groups, and communities, whether sick or healthy, and in various settings. School nurses work within educational environments, where students are their patients and teachers are part of their healthcare team. Despite often being educated on the same college or university campus, these two professions do not interact. This lack of interaction is problematic, as collaboration is expected in school settings. One significant issue is that preparation programs for school nurses and teachers do not prepare these professionals to work together. Most existing interprofessional education (IPE) and collaborative research have focused on student nurses and other healthcare professionals working in hospitals and other health facilities. This qualitative basic study aimed to explore how certified school nurses and licensed K-12 teachers perceive the integration of IPE into their educational programs. Braun and Clarke’s six-phase thematic analysis collected qualitative data from twelve open-ended interview questions and five demographic questions. The study was guided by the World Health Organization's framework for IPE and collaborative practice (CP), focusing on two research questions regarding the perceptions of certified school nurses and licensed K-12 teachers about IPE, as well as the competencies that should be included in their curricula. After analyzing the data and reviewing the research questions, four major themes emerged from the responses of the 16 study participants. These themes included: student, administration, and faculty program competencies, perceptions of the challenges, and benefits associated with IPE programs. Study findings may provide valuable insights for program administrators and faculty responsible for curriculum development and those involved in hiring teachers and school nurses. School boards that allocate funding for health programs significantly influence teachers' hiring practices, and understanding this study's results can also impact school nurse funding decisions. Collaboration between school nurse certification programs and teacher education programs is crucial for developing strategies that prepare a workforce capable of working together to enhance the health and academic success of K-12 students. The study's findings present an opportunity to improve collaboration between school nurses and teachers significantly by establishing interdepartmental IPE initiatives and courses that certify school nurses while preparing K-12 teachers. Universities offering teacher preparation and school nurse certification programs must collaborate with public, charter, and private school systems to coordinate health workforce planning and policy-making, fostering the integration of IPE and CP to ensure comprehensive support for school nurses, teachers, learners, and their families.