Abstract
Worldwide, there are increasing options available at postgraduate level for health professionals to undertake interprofessional education. Interprofessional education provides a route to improved interdisciplinary health professional teamwork, an imperative of all health and social services. New Zealand authorities such as the Ministry of Health (MoH) and District Health Boards New Zealand (DHBNZ) endorse the value of teamwork both to improve the quality of care through complementary disciplinary skill sets and to ensure workplaces are harmonious and supportive. Despite this apparent support, opportunities to undertake interprofessional education are limited in NZ. Where they exist, however, they are well accepted and commended by students and teachers alike. In this paper we will outline the basis of interprofessional education, its relationship to interdisciplinary teamwork in primary care clinical practice, and describe a NZ model of postgraduate interprofessional education. Barriers to the implementation of interprofessional education in NZ will be identified as well as possible solutions.