Becoming an interprofessional practitioner : exploring the application of pre-qualification interprofessional education in the professional practice of midwives

The rationale for interprofessional education (IPE) is based on the assumption that it will result in improved interprofessional practice. Despite the evidence that prequalifying IPE will modify attitudes and provide knowledge and skills for collaboration, this evidence tells us little about whether these new skills and attitudes can be applied and sustained in professional practice. The aim of this research project was to explore how midwifery students who participate in pre-qualification interprofessional education apply their learning to the context of professional practice, and what elements facilitate this application. A purposive sample of midwifery students, midwifery educators, Heads of Midwifery and newly qualified midwives from four universities in the UK participated in semi-structured interviews, focus groups and qualitative questionnaires. Using the principles of Grounded Theory, the emerging findings highlight how professional and systemic factors both promote and prevent newly qualified midwives from turning their interprofessional theory into practice. Graduates appear better able to apply their training when interprofessional working and learning is made explicit within both the university learning environment and the workplace. This understanding of how newly qualified midwives apply IPE to practice is useful for advancing IPE curriculum development and for encouraging effective interprofessional relationships between midwives and other health professionals.