From Patients to Participants: Health Professionals Learn Qualitative Interview Skills Through a Collaborative Classroom Activity

Qualitative health research is a growing field, and more experienced clinicians are seeking graduate research degrees. Participant interviews are a primary method of data collection in qualitative research, and requires a unique set of knowledge and skills. Healthcare professionals develop keen clinical interview skills to gathering medical information, facilitate a diagnosis, establish a prognosis, and determine a plan of care. The clinical interview, however, is very different from the qualitative research interview. Expert clinicians seeking graduate education often struggle to make the transition to qualitative health research. They may not fully understand the differences in purpose, technique, and context that guide the qualitative research interview process. During this session, speakers will present a unique educational activity designed to engage health professions doctoral students in various tasks and discussions about qualitative research methodology and interview technique. Speakers will report on the outcomes of an interprofessional collaborative research activity. Educational strategies will be presented, and the audience will have the opportunity to hear from course instructors, as well as a doctoral student who experienced the research activity.