Collaborative futures: exploring perceptions of interprofessional education across four health professions programs

Interprofessional education (IPE) is essential to preparing health professions students for collaborative practice; however, it is also important to understand students' perspectives on their own professions. We investigated physiotherapy (PT), speech-language pathology (SLP), nursing, and medical students' perceptions of their own professions and of their relationships with other professions. Data were collected using an online survey, which included student demographics and the Interdisciplinary Education Perception Scale (IEPS). A total of 272 students (mean age, 28 years; 72% female) responded. The mean total IEPS score for all students was 58.5 (SD, 7.8; range, 30-72), with PT and SLP students having the highest scores. The mean scores for the Competency and Autonomy and Perception of Actual Cooperation subscales across the study population were 23.8 (SD, 4.0; range, 22.4-25.1) and 23.8 (SD, 4.1; range, 22.6-25.9), respectively, with SLP and PT students showing the highest ratings. In contrast, the Perceived Need for Cooperation subscale achieved a mean score of 10.9 (SD, 1.5; range, 9.9-11.5), with medical students scoring the highest. Our findings indicate that although students generally held positive perceptions of IPE, the significant variation across programs suggests that different professional groups approach IPE from distinct perspectives and levels of preparedness.