Background: Interprofessional education (IPE) has fostered increased collaboration and appreciation for different disciplines among health professionals but has yet to be established in a translational research setting. Interprofessional experiences (IPEx) implemented early in student training could increase translational research productivity.
Methods and findings: Ten students involved in an IPE curriculum wrote autoethnographic accounts that were coded and emergent themes were grouped through constant comparative analysis. IPE led to improvements in communication, trust, appreciation, and an increased desire to seek IPE in future careers. Challenges included administrative barriers and interpersonal conflicts.
Conclusions: Participants found IPE beneficial to their careers and developed a respect for each other's discipline. To implement IPE, institutions should consider possible administrative challenges and inclusion of conflict management training.
Keywords: Biomedical training; Graduate students; Interprofessional education; Interprofessional experience; Medical students; Problem-based learning.