Changing Attitudes - Health Sciences Students Working Together.

Is it possible to alter limiting stereotypic attitudes of health professionals toward each other? Perhaps a first step might be an undergraduate interdisciplinary course that brings students from different faculties together to work on scenarios of common interest? The Inter-professional Health Development, Education & Activities Group (IHDEA) at the University of Alberta believe that their innovative INTD 410 course addresses the goal of changing attitudes. Over a five-week period, more than 700 students attend this required course. They are supported by some fifty facilitators who are drawn from the community and from six different university faculties. Students interact in small interdisciplinary teams and in the process deepen their knowledge of the role of each health professional, and come to a greater understanding of the contributions of their own discipline to the team. Data gathered suggest that the course cultivates respect among the professions and that students feel better able to function within the health team. This paper describes how the course was developed.