Interprofessional learning modules at Dalhousie University.

Interprofessional education has been advocated to improve teamwork in the health sector. This paper reports on the first two years of operational experience by a School of Health Services Administration (SHSA) with three-hour interprofessional learning modules (IPLMs). SHSA students participated along with students from nursing, medicine, social work, physiotherapy, occupational therapy, pharmacy, speech language pathology, audiology, dental hygiene, dentistry, leisure studies, health education and kinesiology. The five IPLMs required for SHSA students were: professional roles and values, integrity in scholarly activity, disability, interpersonal violence and HIV/AIDS. This article describes the development, delivery and evaluation of these modules from an SHSA perspective. The IPLMs' evaluation findings indicated that IPLMs are worthwhile, but have taken years and ongoing senior management support to operationalize; inclusion of health services administration is worthwhile but challenging; vigilance is needed to retain an IP rather than module content focus; and faculty and facilitator development, along with student preparation and debriefing, is required. Student feedback was favourable; faculty members have gained by their involvement; and field practitioner support has been sustained. Evaluation and reflection are critical to IPLM evolution. The norms, strengths and constraints of the university must be taken into account, and thus IPLMs must be adapted for each educational setting. Schools of health services administration must decide whether they wish to be involved in interprofessional learning.