Interprofessional teaching and learning in the health occupations – A conference developed by and for young scientists in the field of education

Issues of interprofessional teaching and learning in the education of practitioners in the health occupations are being increasingly addressed from a theoretical as well as an empirical perspective in Germany. To date, the scientific community involved in research on inter-professional teaching and learning in the field of health occupations is still relatively small and poorly connected. This is particularly the case for young scientists who work on relevant topics as part of their bachelor’s, master’s or doctoral theses. Against this background, networking beyond the scope of single disciplines or institutions gains in importance, particularly as ameans of buildingmutual support platforms. This idea motivated us to create a conference that aims to bring together young scientists in the field of interprofessional teaching and learning in Germany for the first time. Scientists working on their habilitation, doctoral, or master’s theses were given the opportunity to engage in a scientific discussion of the challenges posed by interprofessional teaching and learning in the health occupations. Moreover, they were able to present and receive feedback on their research projects in workshops with both peers and expert participants. Apart from providing young scientists with individual support, the conference aimed to identify common interests beyond the scope of single institutions or individuals and to stimulate the establishment of interest groups, in order to engender a scientific national discourse on interprofessional teaching and learning in the field of health occupations. A grant application for financial support for the conference was submitted to the Federal Ministry for Education and Research (Guideline for the support of young scientists in the field of educational research through events). A positive decision on this application made the conference possible and enabled 40 young scientists from all over Germany to meet on the 16 and 17 of November 2017 on the island of Schwanenwerder in Berlin.