Creating Meaningful Interprofessional Learning Experience

To address the complexities of health care, leading authorities have emphasized that “nurses also should be educated with physicians and other health professionals both as students and throughout their careers in lifelong learning opportunities (Institute of Medicine, 2010, The future of nursing: Leading change, advancing health, p.2”.  The related educational experiences need to prepare health care professionals to effectively provide team-based, population-based, systems-focused interventions.  However, given numerous competing curricular demands, and apparent and perceived role-based and organizational barriers, developing and implementing sustainable and well-coordinated inter-professional educational experiences is often very challenging.

The presenters will discuss a University's experience with developing, implementing and expanding interprofessional education for health care professionals in dentistry, medicine, nursing, pharmacy and physical therapy.  Organizational (structures and processes) as well as specific educational innovations developed from grassroots efforts by visionary faculty will be discussed.  Some learner evaluation data will be highlighted to illustrate the value and satisfaction related to these