From competency transfer to situated enactment: an interpretive explanatory model of the transition from interprofessional education to collaborative practice

This instrumental qualitative case study examined undergraduate health professions students’ learning within an IPE program at a Colombian university that connected online modules with rural community-based primary care.

Data were collected between October 2024 and March 2025 from students in medicine, psychology, physiotherapy, and speech therapy through nine semi-structured interviews, one focus group, one dyadic interview, and two non-participant observations during rural fieldwork. Data were analyzed using Braun and Clarke’s thematic analysis followed by interpretive synthesis. Three themes were identified: understanding collaborative practice in healthcare; barriers to learning collaborative practice; and situated conditions supporting collaborative learning.