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Effects of Interdisciplinary Training on MCH Professionals, Organizations and Systems

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Abstract

We studied the effects of the Interdisciplinary Leadership Development Program (ILDP) on MCH trainees from five MCHB-funded training programs at the UNC-Chapel Hill from the years 2001–2008. Specifically, we examined attitudes/beliefs about interdisciplinary practice and the frequency of use of interdisciplinary skills; identified effects of interdisciplinary training on career choices; and, examined the ways in which graduates used their interdisciplinary skills to effect change in MCH organizations and systems, up to 8 years after completion of training. Using a post-test design, participants in the ILDP were contacted to complete a web-based survey. Non-participating LEND and public health graduates were recruited for comparison. Guided by EvaluLEAD, we designed questions that asked graduates to rate the influence of their programs on their attitudes/beliefs and skills (on 5-point Likert scales), and to describe those influences in some detail in open-ended questions. The 208 respondents represented 59.6 % of the graduates from 2001 through 2008. Model-predicted mean levels of frequency of use of interdisciplinary skilIs was associated with ILDP participation (p = 0.008) and nearly so for interdisciplinary attitudes/beliefs (p = 0.067). There is an association between four domains of systems changes and frequency of skill use: develop/improve a program (3.24 vs. 2.74, p < 0.0001); improve the way an organization works (3.31 vs. 2.88, p < 0.0001); develop/improve a partnership (3.22 vs. 2.83, p < 0.0003); and, develop a policy (3.32 vs. 2.98, p < 0.0013). Graduates used interdisciplinary training to improve outcomes for families and to effect change in MCH systems. MCH leaders should disseminate, more broadly, rigorous assessments of the training intended to develop leadership competencies that underpin effective interdisciplinary practice.

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Acknowledgments

We would like to thank our colleagues, Kathleen Rounds, Jan Dodds, Michael Milano, Bill Vann, and Jessica Lee, whose commitments to interdisciplinary training and practice were essential to the completion of this project. We also express our appreciation for the thoughtful participation of the graduates of our programs. Mike Hussey provided excellent statistical support. This research was supported by HRSA/MCHB grant R40MC08558.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Maternal and Child Health, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599-7445, USA

    Lewis H. Margolis & Linda Chewning

  2. Carolina Institute for Developmental Disabilities, Department of Allied Health Sciences, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599-4287, USA

    Angela Rosenberg

  3. North Carolina Institute for Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599-8165, USA

    Karl Umble

Authors
  1. Lewis H. Margolis
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  2. Angela Rosenberg
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  3. Karl Umble
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  4. Linda Chewning
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Lewis H. Margolis.

Appendix

Appendix

See Tables 9 and 10.

Table 9 Items used to elicit attitudes/beliefs about interdisciplinary practice
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Table 10 Items used to assess the frequency of skill use
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Margolis, L.H., Rosenberg, A., Umble, K. et al. Effects of Interdisciplinary Training on MCH Professionals, Organizations and Systems. Matern Child Health J 17, 949–958 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10995-012-1078-8

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