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.