Enhancing interdisciplinary learning

Team Members: Mia Nelson, Jonathan Wyatt, Pam Smith

Abstract

Good emotional awareness is a skill that can be taught, cultivated and continually refined throughout the course of professional training yet it remains an underappreciated area of explicit education in comparison to other clinical aspects of nursing work.

Acknowledging the historic precedent of interdisciplinary exchanges between nursing and psychotherapy, and the benefit this has had in understanding the emotional impact of nursing practice, this project intends to understand the experience of studying in one professional field (Counselling and Psychotherapy) with the explicit intention of identifying and defining the shape and scope of new, innovative and professionally pertinent curricular developments in another (Nursing Studies).

A small team of staff and students from both departments will use voice centred relational analysis to examine data gained through two discussion groups. Past and present interdisciplinary students (Counselling and Psychotherapy students who have a nursing background) will be invited to explore their journey to, through and beyond their course of study in the Counselling and Psychotherapy department. It is intended as an idea generating study and therefore intends to identify not only what aspects were useful, but why they proved useful and in what way (how).

The information gained will be disseminated through a round table discussion, open to all members of both departments and will be used to inform curriculum development through guiding future teaching and learning research projects and grant applications, enhancing their impact value by founding them on a base of professional relevance and practical application as identified by students and practitioners.

Final Project Report

The final project report can be found here.