Table 4 Examples of TIPE student responses to end-of-rotation free text questions, 2013-2014

What did you like most about the programme?

Loved placements in other professions and getting to know everyone outside the classroom (Student, block 2, 2013)

Opportunities we would never have at school, gaining skills in communicating with other professionals. I could overcome stereotype towards rural area and Maori culture and health (Student, block 4, 2013)

Working in a rural community where everyone is friendly, living with other IPE students, gaining greater knowledge of other professions, so much respect for other health professionals (Student, block 5, 2013)

Living with all the professions, the 2 nursing placements really interesting, seeing first hand so many clinical situations made my degree relevant (Student, block 1, 2014)

Living with a mixture of health students and get to know more about what they do and understand their perceptions on healthcare. Breaking the stereotypical view on what they do personally the clinical placements of other professions (Student, block 1, 2014)

The cultural immersion up here was a great experience (Student, block 2, 2014)

Being able to understand more about other professions which broke down barriers. Also learnt about dynamics of rural health (student, block 2, 2014)

…learning to work in a rural setting, interacting with a small community, working with Maori patients

living with other IPE students, Clinical placement excellent, Hauora [Maori] aspects good (Student block 3,2014)

Being part of a community largely Maori and living with observing what other health professionals do

Working with other health professionals, learning about other disciplines and how pharmacy can be better with them. Challenging clinical placements, Group projects (Student, block 4, 2014)

What improvements would you like to see?

Not enough clinical time in my own profession, quite a bit of wasted time ie IPE placements that were unorganised/unsure of purpose. Done a lot of nursing placements already (Student, block 4, 2013)

Would put clinical placements side by side not disjointed 1/2 days, Call placements to remind them that we are coming (Student, block 5, 2013)

The quality of accommodation could be improved, lack of kitchen equipment, hospital pillows, and no coat hangers (Student, block 2, 2014)

…slightly more clinical time, some of the teaching sessions could be better organised, Vivid [videoconference] hard (Student, block 3, 2014)

[not]Getting a chance to visit all the [other] professions (Student, block 4, 2014)