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Learning in the arena: healthcare students' lived experience of interprofessional education in equine-assisted services.

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Title: Learning in the arena: healthcare students' lived experience of interprofessional education in equine-assisted services.
Authors: Lungren, Leah (AUTHOR), Mazzarella, Julia (AUTHOR), Mumbauer-Pisano, Jayna (AUTHOR)
Source: Journal of Interprofessional Care. Jul/Aug2026, Vol. 40 Issue 4, p661-672. 12p.
Subjects: Interdisciplinary education, Equine-assisted therapy, Nature, Focus groups, Interviewing, Human-animal relationships, Descriptive statistics, Experience, Sound recordings, Research methodology, Psychology of medical students, Phenomenology, Horses, Experiential learning, Professional competence
Abstract: This qualitative study explored healthcare students' lived experiences during an interprofessional education (IPE) event incorporating equine-assisted services (EAS). Traditional IPE events often rely on classroom settings that may limit interprofessional engagement, collaboration, and application. Utilizing interpretive phenomenological analysis, researchers examined how the equine environment influenced interprofessional learning among fourteen graduate students from diverse healthcare disciplines at a western United States public university. Participants engaged in experiential demonstrations incorporating equines into mental health therapy, physical therapy, occupational therapy, and speech language pathology services during a three-hour "Equines in Healthcare" event, followed by a focus group and reflective journaling. Three major themes emerged: (1) the equine in a natural environment provided the context for learning, with horses serving as facilitators and the natural setting offering unique advantages over traditional clinic environments; (2) the IPE experience enhanced interprofessional learning, fostering cross-disciplinary understanding and collaboration; and (3) the experience generated professional and clinical insights, benefiting student providers-in-training and anticipated future clients. Participants gained knowledge about equine-assisted approaches, developed interprofessional communication skills, and experienced attitudinal changes, including increased respect for other disciplines and greater therapeutic creativity. The study demonstrates that integrating natural environments and animal-human interactions into interprofessional education may enhance student engagement, foster authentic collaboration, and prepare future healthcare providers to deliver more interprofessional and creative approaches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Copyright of Journal of Interprofessional Care is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
Database: Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection
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  Label: Title
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  Data: Learning in the arena: healthcare students' lived experience of interprofessional education in equine-assisted services.
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Lungren%2C+Leah%22">Lungren, Leah</searchLink> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Mazzarella%2C+Julia%22">Mazzarella, Julia</searchLink> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Mumbauer-Pisano%2C+Jayna%22">Mumbauer-Pisano, Jayna</searchLink> (AUTHOR)
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="JN" term="%22Journal+of+Interprofessional+Care%22">Journal of Interprofessional Care</searchLink>. Jul/Aug2026, Vol. 40 Issue 4, p661-672. 12p.
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Interdisciplinary+education%22">Interdisciplinary education</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Equine-assisted+therapy%22">Equine-assisted therapy</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Nature%22">Nature</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Focus+groups%22">Focus groups</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Interviewing%22">Interviewing</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Human-animal+relationships%22">Human-animal relationships</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Descriptive+statistics%22">Descriptive statistics</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Experience%22">Experience</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Sound+recordings%22">Sound recordings</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Research+methodology%22">Research methodology</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Psychology+of+medical+students%22">Psychology of medical students</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Phenomenology%22">Phenomenology</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Horses%22">Horses</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Experiential+learning%22">Experiential learning</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Professional+competence%22">Professional competence</searchLink>
– Name: Abstract
  Label: Abstract
  Group: Ab
  Data: This qualitative study explored healthcare students' lived experiences during an interprofessional education (IPE) event incorporating equine-assisted services (EAS). Traditional IPE events often rely on classroom settings that may limit interprofessional engagement, collaboration, and application. Utilizing interpretive phenomenological analysis, researchers examined how the equine environment influenced interprofessional learning among fourteen graduate students from diverse healthcare disciplines at a western United States public university. Participants engaged in experiential demonstrations incorporating equines into mental health therapy, physical therapy, occupational therapy, and speech language pathology services during a three-hour "Equines in Healthcare" event, followed by a focus group and reflective journaling. Three major themes emerged: (1) the equine in a natural environment provided the context for learning, with horses serving as facilitators and the natural setting offering unique advantages over traditional clinic environments; (2) the IPE experience enhanced interprofessional learning, fostering cross-disciplinary understanding and collaboration; and (3) the experience generated professional and clinical insights, benefiting student providers-in-training and anticipated future clients. Participants gained knowledge about equine-assisted approaches, developed interprofessional communication skills, and experienced attitudinal changes, including increased respect for other disciplines and greater therapeutic creativity. The study demonstrates that integrating natural environments and animal-human interactions into interprofessional education may enhance student engagement, foster authentic collaboration, and prepare future healthcare providers to deliver more interprofessional and creative approaches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
– Name: AbstractSuppliedCopyright
  Label:
  Group: Ab
  Data: <i>Copyright of Journal of Interprofessional Care is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
PLink https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=pbh&AN=194842536
RecordInfo BibRecord:
  BibEntity:
    Identifiers:
      – Type: doi
        Value: 10.1080/13561820.2026.2651764
    Languages:
      – Code: eng
        Text: English
    PhysicalDescription:
      Pagination:
        PageCount: 12
        StartPage: 661
    Subjects:
      – SubjectFull: Interdisciplinary education
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Equine-assisted therapy
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Nature
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Focus groups
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Interviewing
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Human-animal relationships
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Descriptive statistics
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Experience
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Sound recordings
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Research methodology
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Psychology of medical students
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Phenomenology
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Horses
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Experiential learning
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Professional competence
        Type: general
    Titles:
      – TitleFull: Learning in the arena: healthcare students' lived experience of interprofessional education in equine-assisted services.
        Type: main
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          Name:
            NameFull: Lungren, Leah
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          Name:
            NameFull: Mazzarella, Julia
      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: Mumbauer-Pisano, Jayna
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          Dates:
            – D: 01
              M: 07
              Text: Jul/Aug2026
              Type: published
              Y: 2026
          Identifiers:
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              Value: 13561820
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              Value: 40
            – Type: issue
              Value: 4
          Titles:
            – TitleFull: Journal of Interprofessional Care
              Type: main
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