Description

• Case scenarios on the current prevailing issues faced by nurses and social workers - teenage pregnancy. teenage drug abuse, elderly abuse and post-natal depression were developed for use in cross-disciplinary workshops.
• The case scenarios were validated by experts and subject lecturers with expertise.
• Teaching materials, including fact sheets with background information on postnatal depression and its most common antidepressant, Flouxetine, were produced to promote participants' understanding of the psychological and physical impact on post-natally depressed mothers and their breast-fed babies.
• Students and professionals from nursing and social work discussed the various case studies in seminars/ workshops

Intended educational value

Discussion of the case studies in the seminars/ workshops was aimed at promoting students' moral reasoning and ethical decision-making skills in caring practice.

Example of application

Three cross-disciplinary workshops were conducted with two groups of undergraduate students from both social work and nursing for the elderly case scenario; and the workshop on the postnatal depression scenario included a group of undergraduate students from both disciplines and a few social work graduates. A total of 39 nursing and social work students, as well as some social work graduates, participated.

The case scenarios have the potential to be used in problem-based learning seminars in the two departments; and, with some modification, the teaching materials can be transformed into web-based teaching packages for future use. 

Evaluation/Comments

The cross-disciplinary approach in the workshops was effective in enhancing students’ learning of each other’s roles as it provided nurses and social workers with an opportunity to communicate with and learn from each other in the case discussion. These findings were supported by the results of the questionnaires completed by the students.

The majority of the participants stated that the teaching strategies, including the use of case scenarios and discussion, were effective in facilitating their learning.

Participants from both nursing and social work disciplines appreciated learning from each other and welcomed the integration of this interprofessional education into the curriculum at the undergraduate level.
 

Remarks

Consideration is being given to including such interprofessional seminars/ workshops for nursing and social work within a new BSN programme on Mental Health Nursing, but the feasibility of doing so needs further exploration.