Learner Drawings of Interprofessional Education and Collaborative Practice: An Exploratory, Arts-Based Interview Study.

Interprofessional education and collaborative practice (IPECP) is a concept that supports the theory-to-practice transition of health professional students. Aligning with the global research priorities on building the science and scholarship through innovative evidence-informed strategies, the benefits of understanding stakeholder perspectives, notably learners, were considered an asset for this project. Informed by intergroup contact theory, this exploratory case study sought to gain insight into what perspectives and experiences rehabilitation medicine students encounter throughout their program that impacted their collaborative learning and practice experiences. The aim of this exploratory case study was to gain insight into learner perspectives in order to better inform how interprofessional education and practice is both taught and applied. The analysis of the drawings and interviews resulted in three themes: 1) Situate your client as an active member of the team; 2) Share professional perspectives across your team; and 3) Create team supports that are context specific. A thematic model using client engagement, team connectedness, and context-specific support was offered to describe how the emerging themes contribute to the socialization of health professionals within IPECP. In such a way, this study contributes to the body of literature by focusing on the student perspective. Additionally, it aims to contribute to methods used in interprofessional interview-based literature by using unique learner-driven drawings to elicit personal reflections of collaborative learning. The findings resulted in understanding the social impacts involving client engagement, team connectedness, and context-specific support.