Interprofessional communication and self-efficacy of non-native English speaking and native English speaking baccalaureate nursing student

Interprofessional communication between and among health care practitioners is a vital skill in today's highly complex and communicative United States (U.S.) health care settings. Health care practitioners communicate face to face and through written and electronic communication modes with other health care practitioners. This communication is about critical information concerning the health and welfare of patients. As students graduate from nursing programs and enter into practice, effective interprofessional communication (IPC) is the expected norm. Several leading national health care initiatives, The Institute of Medicine (IOM), The Joint Commission (JC) and Quality and Safety in Nursing Education (QSEN), recommended that IPC education begin at the health care practitioner education level.;The nursing literature identified that non-native English speaking nursing students experience difficulty with English language proficiency and learning in a new English-based health care culture. Literature about non-native English speaking nursing students and interprofessional communication (IPC) skills was lacking. In the literature, information was also lacking regarding whether or not native English speaking nursing students have English language and IPC deficiencies; however, these students are also entering a new culture requiring their knowledge of medical terminology, and interprofessional communication and collaboration.;Self-efficacy (SE) is the belief that one can accomplish a required task, skill or needed behavior. Documented evidence in the literature was lacking about non-native English speaking nursing students' and native English speaking nursing students' SE and IPC skills. Self-efficacy is an important concept related to achievement. Based on the available literature, the relationship between self-efficacy and interprofessional communication is unknown.;This descriptive, correlational, and comparative study explored the self-reported IPC skills and SE of non-native and native English speaking baccalaureate nursing students. The relationship between IPC skills and SE was also explored. The Neuman Systems model (NSM) served as a theoretical foundation for this study.;Data collection included three electronic surveys. A demographic survey was used to provide information about the subjects. The Interprofessional Communication Scale (IPCS), a newly created, valid, and reliable instrument, measured self-reported interprofessional communication. The General Self-Efficacy Scale, a globally tested instrument, measured SE. A convenience sample of subjects was drawn from ten baccalaureate nursing programs that are certified by the Accreditation Commission for Education of Nursing (ACEN) and/or the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) in the U.S.;Data analyses revealed that IPC and SE scores were similarly high between NNES and NES baccalaureate nursing students. There was a significant, moderately low correlation between NES baccalaureate nursing students' IPC and SE scores. Lastly, there were no differences between NNES and NES baccalaureate nursing students' IPC and SE scores. Additional analyses revealed that students with health professions education experience had higher IPC and SE scores. In addition, senior nursing students had higher IPC scores than junior nursing students.;This study was significant to nursing education, research, and practice. This study used a nursing model, the NSM, as a framework and a newly created reliable and valid tool measured IPC skills. The findings of this study contributed baseline information about the self-reported IPC skills and SE of baccalaureate nursing students, however more research is warranted. This is important because major national health care initiatives such as the IOM, QSEN, and the JC recommended that communication be taught in the education phase so that health care practitioners graduate and enter their respective fields with effective interprofessional communication skills.