Date of Award

2001

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Education (EdD)

Department

Educational Leadership

First Advisor

Gary D. Chamberlin, Ph.D.

Abstract

Interdisciplinary care is a method of providing patient care that incorporates the efforts of various health care providers. Studies show this approach can improve patient care and decrease overall costs to the healthcare system. Despite the evidence for the benefits of interdisciplinary care, there are no well-defined models for training students during their didactic years to become members of an interdisciplinary team. This study determines the attitudes of administrators of professional schools toward interdisciplinary education, identifies perceived barriers to interdisciplinary education, examines the extent to which interdisciplinary education is occurring at academic health center campuses, and identifies the courses that might best be taught in an interdisciplinary format. Administrators from medicine, nursing, and pharmacy hold positive attitudes toward interdisciplinary instruction. Respondents from nursing and pharmacy hold more favorable attitudes than their counterparts from medicine. Positive attitudes are seen more frequently among females than males, and among respondents from public campuses than from private campuses. Two exemplary models of interdisciplinary education are reviewed and the barriers that were overcome are discussed. This study shows that administrators espouse very positive attitudes toward interdisciplinary education, although they perceive the barriers to interdisciplinary education and the courses most suited for an interdisciplinary approach differently. More discussions among administrators of various disciplines may allow barriers to be overcome and allow development of courses to test the hypothesis that these courses are more cost effective and more likely to foster interdisciplinary teamwork in the clinical setting.

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