Background: Tensions and hierarchies among nurses who have different educational preparations can hinder effective communication and collaborative practices.
Method: A 2-year longitudinal cohort study involving 214 participants explored the influences of joint education on Canadian Practical Nursing (PN) and Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BScN) students.
Results: Joint education helps students dismantle unhelpful power relations, address myths and misconceptions about the other, and develop respect for each other's contributions to patient care.
Conclusion: Joint education enhances collaboration between nursing designations by placing a focus on the actual knowledge, skill, and judgment rather than on the hierarchies established through credentialing. Joint education also assists students to see overlap in scope of practice and points of intersection requiring collaboration. This understanding promotes safe patient-focused care. Contextualizing the findings within broader discourses, such as the professions, institutions, regulating organizations, and sociopolitical relations within nursing, exposes future possibilities within nursing education. [J Nurs Educ. 2016;55(11):623-630.].
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