Interprofessional primary healthcare student placements: Qualitative findings from a mixed-method evaluation

Interprofessional education (IPE) is championed as an innovative approach to prepare the future health workforce to address the complex needs of consumers and tackle a range of contemporary healthcare challenges worldwide. An interprofessional work-integrated learning experience (WIL), whereby students were immersed in international and rural settings and worked in teams to deliver primary healthcare project outcomes, was developed, implemented, and evaluated with undergraduate health students. Qualitative evaluation of the IPE program aimed to investigate the experiences and perceptions of 62 students through focus group interviews, is reported. Students regarded the placement as a rich learning environment and reported positive experiences in interprofessional collaborative competencies. Major themes included: overall perceptions and attitudes, scope of practice, improved teamwork skills, future practice, and placement preparation. Students strengthened their learning with, from and about other professional groups and identified challenges and implementation issues. Findings from this study will inform future implementation of interprofessional WIL experiences.