ABSTRACT
Government (Department of Health, 2000a, 2000b and 2001a), professional bodies (George, 2000; GMC, 2002; NMC, 2001) and higher education providers (CVCP, 2000; Finch, 2000) concur that the development and implementation of effective programmes of interprofessional education (IPE) are essential for healthcare curricula. While it is generally agreed that the aims of such learning should be to help promote collaborative practices, prepare students for effective team working and ultimately improve patient care (Barr, 2000) there remains a need to identify common interprofessional competencies and appropriate assessment methods (Ross and Southgate, 2001). Furthermore, it is essential that these techniques have credibility with each of the professions involved and at all levels – teachers, students and professional bodies. The focus of IPE on skills such as team working, communication and decision-making should also provide a learning and assessment framework that is generalisable to other academic disciplines.
