Maria Psoinos

Taking the long view: Exploring the development of interprofessional education

Interprofessional education (IPE) in health and social care has been well documented regarding student outcomes. Less has been written from the perspective of those who actually developed IPE. This study explores IPE within the context of a university partnership working with service providers in Southwest London (UK). We focused on the experiences and perspectives of 19 key players who were interviewed about the inception, implementation and development of IPE over 15 years. Our aim was to understand their views of IPE and its evolution over time. Interviewees provided different understandings of IPE, as well as contrasting views regarding its purpose and optimum delivery. Problems such as lack of central planning and the logistics of implementation were also discussed. Paradoxically, however, the participants highlighted positive outcomes and conveyed optimistic messages for the future. Despite various challenges and setbacks, a strong belief in the importance of IPE and a commitment to carrying it through were strong motivators contributing to finding solutions, as were building trust and positive relationships across professional and disciplinary boundaries.

Cultural health capital and professional experiences of overseas doctors and nurses in the UK

Drawing on autobiographical narratives of a small sample of overseas doctors and nurses working in the UK, this study analysed emerging subjective theories of their professional experiences and explored how these are related to the theoretical framework of cultural health capital, an expert theory on a form of cultural capital which is leveraged in healthcare contexts and may result in more optimal healthcare relationships. The findings of our analysis demonstrate that there is a wealth of expertise and experience among overseas healthcare professionals, and that it is underutilised because of structural and institutional barriers. Healthcare professionals with temporary migration status faced longer delays in their career progression than those with EU citizenship or work permits. Irrespective of migration status, career aspirations were thwarted by external circumstances with negative consequences for individuals’ well-being, with doctors being affected more severely than nurses. Structural and institutional barriers that have an impact on professionals’ ability to progress into the UK healthcare system are discussed. The paper concludes with a discussion of the potential of cultural health capital as a framework for capturing and explaining the career trajectories experienced by overseas healthcare professionals.

Researching migrants who hold nomadic identities

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine how the researcher can critically reflect on his/her own identities when interacting with participants who hold nomadic identities and analyses the dynamic discourses of power unfolding at different levels. Design/methodology/approach – Autobiographical narrative data derived from a research study on highly educated refugees in the UK are analysed in order to highlight the multi-level dynamic discourses of power unfolding between researcher, participants, the community context and the broader socio-cultural context. Findings – The findings shed light not only on the power relations unfolding at different levels but also on inequalities which arise – particularly in organisational settings - and put at a disadvantage certain groups of highly educated refugees. Research limitations/implications – The thorough analysis demonstrates how a researcher can be critically reflexive – that is, challenges his/her own authority and gives “voice” to the participants – ...