A scoping review of interprofessional education between health professions and education students

INTRODUCTION: Effective collaboration between classroom teachers and health professionals is essential for supporting school students' learning and wellbeing, yet evidence indicates that such collaboration is often fragmented in practice. While interprofessional education (IPE) is intended to prepare graduates for collaborative practice across complex contexts by enabling learners from different disciplines to learn with, from, and about each other, the extent to which IPE initiatives have included collaborative learning between pre-service health professions and education students is unclear. METHOD: A scoping review was conducted in accordance with Joanna Briggs Institute methodology to map IPE initiatives involving pre-service health professions and education students. A systematic search of six databases was conducted, with two reviewers independently screening studies for eligibility. A collaboratively developed data charting framework was applied to extract and analyse data from the included studies. RESULTS: Thirty-one publications describing 19 distinct IPE initiatives were identified in the eligible literature. Initiatives varied considerably in scale, ranging from small placement programs to large cohort workshops delivered face-to-face, online or in blended formats. Common pedagogical approaches included case-based discussions, simulations, and collaborative projects. Across initiatives, reported outcomes primarily reflected perceived or self-reported improvements in interprofessional knowledge, attitudes, and collaborative skills, and knowledge relevant to supporting school students. However, despite these reported positive outcomes, the review identified constraints to implementation across interpersonal, pedagogical, curriculum, and institutional levels. DISCUSSION: While interpersonal and pedagogical challenges influenced the design and delivery of IPE initiatives, curriculum-level demands (crowded and accreditation-driven programs) and institutional conditions (siloed faculties, governance arrangements, and resource and scheduling limitations) also shaped how IPE could be implemented. Together, these findings highlight challenges embedding and sustaining cross-sector IPE within higher education. Addressing these challenges will be important if universities are to embed IPE between health professions and education students as a core component of pre-service preparation.