Date of Award

January 2015

Document Type

Open Access Thesis

Degree Name

Medical Doctor (MD)

Department

Medicine

First Advisor

Marjorie S. Rosenthal

Subject Area(s)

Health education

Abstract

Attitudes of health professional students may determine the effectiveness of interprofessional education (IPE). We sought to identify student characteristics associated with more positive attitudes toward IPE by surveying a cohort of medical (M), nursing (N), and physician associate (PA) students first and third year using the Readiness for Interprofessional Learning Scale (RIPLS) and Interdisciplinary Education Perception Scale (IEPS). We collected demographic and experiential information and performed one-way ANOVA, independent and paired t-tests, and multiple linear regression. 110 of 213 students (52%) completed the RIPLS and 106 (50%) completed the IEPS at both time points. Nursing students consistently had the highest RIPLS scores (third-year scores 75.1 M, 83.9 N, 77.7 PA, p < 0.001), and medical students the lowest IEPS scores (third-year scores 56.5 M, 61.6 N, 62.0 PA, p < 0.001). Women had higher RIPLS scores than men both years (third-year scores 80.6 vs. 76.9, p = 0.03), and higher IEPS scores in the third year (60.4 vs. 57.8, p = 0.02). Students who participated in interprofessional extracurriculars had higher RIPLS scores in third year than those who did not (80.4 vs. 76.0, p = 0.03). Only first-year score and professional program predicted third-year RIPLS or IEPS score (p ≤ 0.001 both models). In conclusion, positive attitudes toward IPE are associated with professional program, gender, and participation in interprofessional extracurricular activities.

Comments

This is an Open Access Thesis.

Open Access

This Article is Open Access

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