Interprofessional Collaborative Attitudes: Comparing Social Work Learners to Their Medicine and Nursing Peers

Abstract

Interprofessional learning activities in higher education aim to unite healthcare professionals in their future practice, thus reducing duplication and fragmentation of services. This study uses a social learning perspective to examine advanced practice medicine, nursing, and social work learners’ attitudes toward interprofessional education and collaborative practice activities within their university programs. The authors used a cross-sectional design to administer a questionnaire that included the Interprofessional Attitudes Scale (IPAS) to 151 advanced practice health care learners (internal medicine residents, nurse practitioner students, master’s-level social work students). Findings indicated significant differences in three subsections of the IPAS. Social work learners possessed a more favorable attitude than their medicine and nursing peers on teamwork, roles, responsibilities, and community-centeredness. Social work and nurse practitioner students indicated higher interprofessional bias issues than medical residents. The participants’ age was also found to be significant in the study. Further exploration will afford a more substantial knowledge base to address the fragmented, siloed, and service duplication that works against a more comprehensive and efficient healthcare system.