Title: American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) > News & Information > Position Statements & White Papers > Interdisciplinary Education and Practice
Headings: Interdisciplinary Education and Practice
Interdisciplinary Education and Practice
Content: American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) > News & Information > Position Statements & White Papers > Interdisciplinary Education and Practice
Interdisciplinary Education and Practice
Position Statement: All health care disciplines share a common and primary commitment to serving the patient and working toward the ideal of health for all. While each discipline has its own focus, the scope of health care mandates that health professionals work collaboratively and with other related disciplines. Collaboration emanates from an understanding and appreciation of the roles and contributions that each discipline brings to the care delivery experience. Such professional socialization and ability to work together is the result of shared educational and practice experiences. Multidisciplinary education and practice occur when several disciplines work in parallel, often with independent goals. In contrast, interdisciplinary education may include a variety of disciplines from health and other fields of study that collaborate through joint planning, decision-making, and goal-setting. Nursing students should be educated in an environment that provides such interdisciplinary educational experiences based on mutual understanding and respect and designed to enhance the practice of each discipline. One vital component of any educational endeavor is evaluation of its success. Thus, educators are responsible for assessing the results of an interdisciplinary approach to assure that collaboration is enhanced, the delivery of care is facilitated, and patient outcomes are improved.