Is interprofessional teaching enhanced through peer-assisted learning?

The concept of interprofessional teaching and learning is not new to education programmes for healthcare professionals in the UK as can be evidenced by, amongst other things, the creation of the Centre for the Advancement of Interprofessional Education (CAIPE) (www.caipe.org.uk) back in 1987.

One area of interprofessional education (IPE) that is gaining popularity is engaging students in the teaching of their peers. This term is referred to as peer-assisted learning (PAL) although the authors identify that PAL appears to have been researched only in a uniprofessional environment, rather than in an interprofessional context involving students from one discipline in the teaching and development of students from another healthcare profession.

This study, undertaken in one university in Australia, set out to investigate the benefits of interprofessional PAL for both paramedic and midwifery students. Second year paramedic students on a Bachelor of Emergency Health (Paramedic) degree programme received a lecture on normal childbirth from a member of the lecturing staff, which was followed up with practical sessions facilitated by midwifery students in the final year of their programme. The midwifery students worked with the member of staff to ensure that the sessions they were planning were at an appropriate educational level and in alignment with the learning outcomes for the paramedic programme.