INTER-PROFESSIONAL COLLABORATION

Working In Health Care and Social Services within UK



Working In Health Care and Social Services within UK

Introduction

Interprofessional collaboration in education and practice has been promoted for over three decades by educational panels, professional/educational organizations, and grant funding agencies. Despite this long-standing focus on collaboration and the need for faculty to be highly productive in their teaching, service, and research roles, the literature remains sparse regarding the potential benefits and challenges of interprofessional collaborative efforts associated with each role. In this article, the authors review the literature by exploring terms associated with interprofessional collaboration, describing the collaboration imperative within healthcare, and presenting collaborative efforts within the academic setting. They also discuss interprofessional collaboration within faculty teaching, service, and research roles, sharing examples of their own collaborative experiences and some of the benefits and challenges of collaboration in each of these roles. The collaborating experiences they share illustrate how faculty, regardless of setting or nation, can themselves be successful both in collaborating activities and in integrating the three roles of teaching, service, and research, for the benefit of students, community, and professional practice.

Analysis

The term collaboration holds a positive connotation for today's healthcare providers. The act of collaborating is usually considered a necessary component of successful professional activities, whether among individuals or departments within a given organization or among other organizations. Educational panels, professional/educational organizations, and grant funding agencies promote collaboration within and across disciplines (American Association of Colleges of Nursing, 2002, 2002-2003; DHHS (n.d.); Heller et al., 2000; Pew Health Professions Commission, 1998). The outcomes of interprofessional collaborative endeavors are expected to be produced quicker and to be of a higher quality than solitary efforts (Figg et al., 2006; Garity, 2005; Kontzer, 2002). If nursing educators and practitioners are expected to seek interprofessional collaborative opportunities, the benefits and challenges associated with those efforts merit exploration and discussion. In this article, we review the literature by exploring terms associated with interprofessional collaboration, describing the collaboration imperative within healthcare, and presenting collaborative efforts within the academic setting. We will also discuss interprofessional collaboration within faculty teaching, service, and research roles, sharing examples of our own collaborative experiences and some of the benefits and challenges of collaboration in each of these roles. The collaborating experiences we share will illustrate how faculty, regardless of setting or nation, can themselves be successful both in collaborating activities and in integrating the three roles of teaching, service, and research, for the benefit of students, community, and professional practice.

Tenured and tenure-track faculty are generally required to focus on the three academic roles of teaching, service, and research. Although the focus of non-tenure track faculty differs from that of tenured/tenure-track faculty, interprofessional collaboration is important for all faculty so that students benefit from this collaboration and gain an interprofessional perspective early in their careers. Therefore, this article is directed toward all faculty.

Meaning of Terms related to Interprofessional Collaboration

Terminology used to depict collaboration over time has led to confusion for nurses interested in developing and participating in collaborative ...