Interprofessional Education in Four Canadian Undergraduate Nursing Programs: An Examination of the Supporting Data

• Published in: Diversity of Research in Health Journal 2020-03, Vol.3, p.34-49
• Main Authors: Donato, Emily, Lightfoot, Nancy, MacEwan, Leigh, Carter, Lorraine
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: interprofessional education; multiple case study; nursing programs
• ISSN: 2561-1666; 2561-1666
• DOI: 10.28984/drhj.v3i0.297

Canadian nursing programs are required to provide Interprofessional Education (IPE) since formal inclusion in the undergraduate curricula in 2012. This multiple case study explored how four undergraduate university nursing programs in Northern Ontario integrated IPE into their curricula, including opportunities and challenges of meeting the new IPE requirements. Data collected and analyzed in the study were: interviews with program directors, focus groups and interviews with faculty members, program documentation and information on websites, and on-site program observations. This paper extends the findings of this study and the themes identified in it. These themes were as follows: 1) varied understandings of IPE, 2) diverse IPE learning activities within curricula, 3) the requirement for support and resources for IPE and research, 4) student participation and leadership in IPE, and 5) limited IPE evaluation (Author names removed for integrity of review process, 2019). In this paper, the themes are explored in further depth through extensive consideration of documentation provided by the involved universities. These resources complement the data derived through interviews and focus groups with faculty and directors.  Exploration of these data is a valuable means of illuminating any congruencies and dissonances found in the director and faculty data.