'Real life' clinical learning on an interprofessional training ward.

This paper describes the multi-method evaluation of an interprofessional training ward placement for medical, nursing, occupational therapy and physiotherapy students. Unique in the UK, and an extension of pioneering work in Sweden (Wahlström et al. 1997, Wahlstroöm & Sandén 1998), this interprofessional clinical placement allowed senior pre-qualifying students, under the supervision of practitioners, to plan and deliver interprofessional care for a group of orthopaedic and rheumatology patients. This responsibility enabled students to develop both their profession-specific skills in a real-world setting and the quality of their interprofessional teamwork. Student teams were supported by facilitators who led reflective sessions and acted as a resource for the students' problem-based learning. The training ward was evaluated by a multi-method approach, incorporating interviews, observations and questionnaires with students, patients and clinical staff. The evaluation findings have been grouped into a number of themes which offer an insight into the varying perspectives of training ward students, patients and staff. This paper pays particular attention to the nursing perspective of the interprofessional training ward pilot. Copyright 2001 Harcourt Publishers Ltd.