Achieving collaborative competence through inter-professional education. Lessons learned from joint training in learning disability nursing and social work

Description

The ability to work interprofessionally is integral to professional education and training in social work. Emphasis is placed on students undertaking specific learning and assessment in partnership working and information sharing across professional disciplines (DH, 2002). This implies that aspects of inter-professional education (IPE) should be included within social work training in order that students acquire skills in effective collaborative practice (QAA, 2008). But how can social work education best address this when much of it is singular in nature and most social work students spend the majority of their undergraduate experience mainly in the company of other social work students? This paper begins by exploring the theoretical principles underpinning inter-professional education. A number of themes will be discussed which are highlighted in the literature relating to the aims and outcomes of IPE. Drawing on doctoral research which evaluated the perspectives of graduates who had undertaken joint training in learning disability nursing and social work, the paper will move on to evaluate the skills and knowledge they acquired through this particular model of IPE. It will consider what can be learned from their experience which may be applied to the development of social work students more generally. The paper will argue that there is much to be learned from this alternative model of professional training, in particular about how interprofessional experiences and reflection on them can support the development of critical perspectives in social work graduates. References Department of Health. 2002. Requirements for Social Work Training. London, DH. Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education. 2008. Social Work Subject Benchmark Statement. Gloucester, QAA.