Changes in students’ self-perceived interprofessional collaborative skills following participation in the student health service program

Interprofessional collaboration is recognized as a key component of effective healthcare systems. In France, the Student Health Service (SHS) is the only mandatory and universal interprofessional training experience in health curricula. However, evidence regarding its impact on interprofessional skill acquisition remains limited. This study aimed to evaluate changes in self-perceived interprofessional collaborative skills among health students following completion of the 2024–2025 SHS in the Angers Faculty of Health subdivision. This multicenter quantitative observational study used a retrospective pre–post self-assessment design based on the Interprofessional Collaborative Competency Attainment Survey (ICCAS). Both retrospective “before” and current “after” ratings were collected simultaneously after completion of the SHS. All students in occupational therapy, nursing, physical therapy, midwifery, medicine, and pharmacy completing their SHS in the departments of Maine-et-Loire, Mayenne, and Sarthe during the 2024–2025 academic year were eligible. The primary endpoint was the change in mean ICCAS score before and after the SHS. All 1,141 students completing their SHS during the 2024–2025 academic year were eligible for the study. Of these, 943 received the questionnaire, 638 responded, and 553 questionnaires met the predefined completion criterion and were included in the analysis. The mean ICCAS score increased from 5.81 before the SHS to 6.37 after, corresponding to a significant mean improvement of 0.55 points ( p < 0.001). An improvement in self-perceived interprofessional skills was reported by 86.6% of students, while 9.9% reported no change and 3.4% reported a decrease. All ICCAS domains showed significant improvement. Exploratory analyses detected no significant differences according to field of study, department, or prevention topic, although some subgroups were small. Sensitivity analysis showed greater perceived improvement with paper-based questionnaires compared to digital ones (mean 0.586 vs. 0.251, p < 0.001). Completion of the 2024–2025 SHS in the Angers subdivision was associated with significant improvement in self-perceived interprofessional collaborative skills across all domains. These findings support the potential of the SHS to strengthen interprofessional training in French health curricula. Further research should explore the relationship between self-perceived and objectively measured interprofessional competencies.