Readiness of postgraduate students of Isfahan University of Medical Sciences for inter professional learning

Introduction: There is a global inclination towards collaboration and team work led to increasing emphases on the necessity of preparing health students through inter professional education. This study aimed to assess readiness of postgraduate students of Isfahan University of Medical Sciences for inter professional learning as well as examine its correlation with some demographic variables. Methods: this was a cross-sectional descriptive study in 2011.Samples were recruited through convenience sampling method from postgraduate students of Isfahan University of Medical Sciences. Data were gathered through the Readiness for Inter Professional Learning Scale (RIPLS). Results: Two hundred students filled the questionnaires among which 183 questionnaires were subjected to analysis. They were recruited from nursing (25.7 %), medicine (48.6 %) and other disciplines (24 %). Mean ،score was 70.47 (5.34). The mean score for nursing discipline was 72.1 (4.91), for medicine was 69.83 (5.58) and for other disciplines was 70.25 (4.85). There were no significant correlation between readiness for inter professional learning and contextual variables consisted of age, gender, history of attendance in inter professional education programs, history of clinical practice, history of teaching, education grade and discipline. Conclusion: Regarding the acceptable (higher than mean score) postgraduate students’ readiness, we suggest opportunities for development of interprofessional learning. Insignificant relationship between the students’ readiness and contextual variables implies the broad applicability of the interprofessional education, robust to the contextual differences. Nevertheless, future researches would be necessary to ensure applicability of this approach, and to explore factors influential to this process.