USING CLINICAL SUPERVISION TO IMPROVE INTERPROFESSIONAL COLLABORATION

USING CLINICAL SUPERVISION TO IMPROVEINTERPROFESSIONAL COLLABORATIONByMelissa CopenhaverInterprofessional collaboration (IPC) is important to the future of the healthcare system in that IPC is part of the solution for promoting better healthcare outcomes (Gilbert, Yan, & Hoffman, 2010; Reeves, Perrier, Goldman, Freeth, & Zwarenstein, 2013). Marshall (2011) notes that “interprofessional collaborative practice promotes team identity, conserves energy by a unity in direction, and invites harmony of efforts” (p. 158). The skills needed to engage in IPC are cultivated through interprofessional education (IPE) (Reeves et al., 2013). Currently, at Northern Michigan University (NMU), there are limited opportunities included in the program curriculums of nursing students and social work students to promote the skills needed to engage in interprofessional education (IPE). The curriculums are designed as academic silos, which does not reflect the expectations for graduates entering the workforce. This project provided opportunities for nursing and social work students to use clinical supervision groups to explore their clinical experiences and expand their skills related to IPC. The students who participated in clinical supervision showed larger increases in the Interprofessional Socialization and Valuing Scale (ISVS) post scores than students not in clinical supervision groups and qualitative results suggested students felt their IPC skills increased. Findings from this project could inform future efforts to implement IPE strategies at NMU and other universities.