Healthcare students' personality traits, readiness for interprofessional learning and self-efficacy for competence in interprofessional collaborative practice - a cross-sectional study

INTRODUCTION: Interprofessional learning can enhance self-efficacy for competence in interprofessional collaborative practice among healthcare students. Research shows that healthcare students enter interprofessional learning with varying prerequisites. However, little is known about how these factors influence self-efficacy for competence in interprofessional collaborative practice. AIM: To explore healthcare students' self-efficacy for competence in interprofessional collaborative practice related to readiness for interprofessional learning, personality traits, gender and healthcare education. METHOD: A cross-sectional survey was conducted, involving healthcare students from four different programmes at two universities in Sweden. The Interprofessional Education Collaborative Competency Self-Efficacy Tool (IPECC-Set 9), the Readiness for Interprofessional Learning Scale (RIPLS) and the Neuroticism, Extraversion, and Openness to Experience Five-Factor Inventory (NEO-FFI) were used. Data were analysed using descriptive and analytic statistics. RESULT: = 0.08). Medical students had lower scores in the RIPLS than students from the other programmes, while women scored higher than men. CONCLUSION: Personality predicts students´ self-efficacy for competence in interprofessional collaborative practice, while gender and education influence students' readiness for interprofessional learning. These factors should be considered when designing interprofessional learning activities to maintain student motivation and educational quality.