Interprofessional Education Collaboration between Chung Ang Medical School and Sungshin Nursing School

Interprofessional collaboration is crucial for patient-centered care and safety. Since healthcare students will be part of interprofessional teams in the future, they need to understand the unique contributions of various healthcare professions to patient care and develop skills in collaboration, communication, leadership, and mutual respect. In response to this need, healthcare faculties have adopted interprofessional education as an innovative teaching method. However, traditional health education has typically taken place within individual schools, resulting in a limited understanding of other professional roles and identities. In our study, we introduced an interprofessional education model involving two different colleges. A total of 152 undergraduate students, comprising 101 medical students from Chung Ang University and 51 nursing students from Sungshin Women’s University, participated in the program. A one-day interprofessional education program was conducted to promote collaboration between medical and nursing students. The program included team building and communication games, scenario-based simulations, such as a “room of errors,” and tabletop exercises. Key factors for successful interprofessional education include carefully planned scheduling, leadership, and commitment from participating colleges, faculty support and training, the use of diverse teaching methods and technology, and alignment regarding educational directions among the faculty. We believe that this model may provide valuable insights for healthcare institutions aiming to develop and implement interprofessional curricula.