66 Chapter 4 ‘[It provided me] also insight, the medical students [we paired up with] were in their last year, I see such students also a lot in clinical practice, so now I know a little about what they do. And also with the doctor’s rounds, now you know what they do and what is our responsibility’. (Student no.21-nursing) This may resemble ‘understanding each other’s clinical reasoning’, but the knowledge they acquire in this theme concerns more (e.g., each other’s roles), and also a clarification of one’s own role. ‘But I do think that because of the IPE-sessions, I realized more what my specific role as a clinician is’. (Student no.6-medical) 3. Reduction of hierarchy Both medical and nursing students argued for the reduction of hierarchy as an effect of the IPE-sessions. This theme is also connected to themes 2 and 4. Students pointed out that IPE lowered the barrier to communication by better understanding each other (Theme 2). Some point out the relevance of not feeling discouraged to talk, because that will harm the patients’ well-being (see Theme 4). ‘I do think so [that IPE has influenced the way the student acts in clinical practice].. Because you have more intense contact with a medical student, with a doctor so to say. So… what I pointed out earlier about the difference between I am the doctor and you are the nurse, that has reduced’. (Student no.3-nursing) ‘I did see that occasionally, that nurses talk about doctors like ‘look how he does that, he really feels superior’, while that doctor maybe didn’t mean it that way at all. Or a doctor that feels ‘they don’t even know what that medication is’, but if you know that they are not educated with that knowledge, its reasonable that they don’t know. So I think understanding each other better is maybe a good thing’. (Student no.9-medical) ‘I believe this is an important thing to do, to just have a good time with each other. So the gap doesn’t become to big, if you understand what I mean. That one person is feeling superior and the other one is feeling anxious to talk. If they see you struggle as well, and they know you are also just learning, I think that is important.’ (Student no.9-medical) Students spoke often spontaneously about hierarchy in clinical practice, and how IPE can narrow this experienced gap. This reduction of hierarchy refers to the ‘linking’ or ‘scaling’ social capital, because students experience a difference in social status.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTk4NDMw