Exploring second professional year pharmacy student reflections after an interprofessional shadowing experience with nursing students in critical care units: a qualitative study

Accreditation standards for pharmacy and nursing education require interprofessional education (IPE) as a key component in both curricula. There is increasing evidence for using interprofessional shadowing as a learning modality for IPE; reflection can be used to enhance learning from these experiences. We explored pharmacy student-reported reflections from an interprofessional shadowing experience with nursing students through qualitative content analysis of reflective statements. We found that pharmacy students gained knowledge of nursing roles and areas of expertise, awareness of how the team provides care, and awareness of the importance of communication and mutual respect to improve both team performance and patient safety. Additionally, we were able to assess interprofessional sub-competencies that were met as a result of the interprofessional shadowing experience, specifically, pharmacy students gained knowledge and skills across all four IPEC Core Competencies. Interprofessional shadowing combined with reflection can enhance learning, and thematic analysis of these reflections can be utilized to assess IPE outcomes.