Climbing to New Heights in NP Interprofessional Education: Step by Step

Our campus has increasingly recognized the importance of interprofessional educational  (IPE) team experiences for preparing  learners to function more effectively in new models of healthcare practice since the late 1990s.  Step by step the integration has been incremental but progressing to institutionalization through more structure and resources to support IPE.  These steps  include embracing the Interprofessional Education Collaborative  (IPEC)  competencies  through a formal campus organizational structure,  the  incentive to frame IPE initiatives within a model, establishing   IPE seed grants  and  initial efforts to level and measure  the impact of  IPE initiatives over time as students participate in IP learning at every level.   Within this foundational overview we will present our efforts and progress to integrate IPE team experiences throughout the academic program beginning  with the  first semester of matriculation for medical and NP students.  Exemplars will include selected required courses, for example  a joint clinical immersion (year 1),  an 80 hour Population Health Clerkship (year 2), Clinical Interprofessional Professionalism and Interstitial curricula (years 3 and 4) along with other IPE activities including simulations, electives, committees, and joint leadership opportunities.   Early evaluation data suggests that graduate nursing students (predominantly NP) rate the value of many of these sessions more highly than the school of medicine (SOM).  In order to better understand this phenomenon we have instituted a process in which our learners complete the validated ‘readiness for interprofessional learning scale’ (RIPLS) at various points in their training.  We have enhanced the campus resources in support of IPE and seek to adapt a tool for faculty assessment as well.  We look forward to sharing our experiences and learning from those in attendance to generate new ideas and strategies for consideration by all present.