Dr. Margaret Mc Adam

Summary

Multidisciplinary teamwork, collaboration and effective interprofessional working (IPW) among healthcare professionals is essential for the successful delivery of quality healthcare and is how healthcare is managed within the Irish system. The World Healthcare Organisation (1988) recommended multidisciplinary team working as a means of improving healthcare delivery. Yet, Paradoxically, undergraduate students of healthcare learn theory and skills related to their profession on educational courses that are completely separate for both clinical and academic content. Interprofessional education (IPE) addresses this issue and aims to improve IPW. The U.K Centre for Advancement of Interprofessional Education(CAIPE)(1997)defines IPE as occasions when two or more professions learn from and about each other to improve collaboration and quality of care. This should not be confused with multiprofessional or interdisciplinary learning, which implies learning that does not have interaction and teamwork as its focus. A key factor to the success of IPE involves embracement of its purpose and value by the students of healthcare. Attitudes, stereotypes and professional identity development potentially impact on the success of IPE and IPW and it would appear important to determine these prior to the establishment of IPE. This study aims to describe Irish undergraduate healthcare students' views and attitudes regarding IPE and IPW in one large university in the Republic of Ireland and to examine if exposure to the healthcare environment changes attitudes during the first year of study. A survey questionnaire will be issued to undergraduate students on 6 healthcare courses namely, nursing, medicine, dietetics, physiotherapy, pharmacy, and occupational therapy on commencement of programme, and on return to study one year later. This study will yield information guiding future development of IPE within Irish educational institutions with the aim to improve IPW. The ultimate aim is to enhance quality patient care through greater efficiency and effectiveness within the Irish healthcare service.

Project Type

PhD

Summary

This qualitative study explored the perspectives and experiences of nurse educators, regarding transfer of nurse education from the traditional hospital based apprentice type model, to the third level sector. In the light of the goal to engender empowered, autonomous, critically thinking nurse professionals through education, it examined what nurse educators considered as empowering and liberating education and whether it was practiced in reality. It interrogated oppression in nursing and questioned if the transfer to third level education would induce a repositioning from oppression to empowerment, not just for the individual learner, but also for the collective community in the socio-political context. It looked at how oppression can be addressed through a liberating critical pedagogy.

Programme

MA Adult and Community Education

Project Type

Research study