New thesis on students’ perception of interprofessional learning and virtual patients

"The title of the thesis is students’ perception of interprofessional learning and virtual patients in primary healthcare. The overall aim of the thesis was to find new ways to facilitate students’ interprofessional learning in primary healthcare. We have investigated how students from four different study programmes (nursing, occupational therapy, physiotherapy and medicine) perceived conditions for interprofessional education in primary healthcare (study I)."

"We have developed and assessed an interprofessional virtual patient model for students’ learning in primary healthcare with students from four different study programmes (study II)."

"In study III we assessed how the interprofessional virtual patient case could facilitate for medical students’ learning about team collaboration in online groups. We also wanted to investigate how students perceived working with the virtual patient when they were remotely online with their group."

Which are the most important results?  

"The findings in the studies showed that the virtual patient model with a pedagogical design facilitated interprofessional learning and the students perceived that they gained an understanding of team collaboration. We found that the virtual patient model can be used face-to-face or online remotely in groups of students, either with interprofessional student groups or student group consisting of a single profession."

How can this knowledge contribute to healthcare education?

"Our findings showed that digital learning activities might decrease hinder for students to learn from, with and about other professions and increase opportunities for interprofessional learning activities in primary healthcare settings. Our interprofessional virtual patient is today implemented as a learning activity for medical students."

What’s in the future for you? 

"I would like to continue to work as a district nurse. I will go for a long trip and in the meantime, I will figure it out what I want to do as a clinician. I will continue to conduct research as a postdoc."

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