Fostering Interprofessional Educational Opportunities for Your Students

The quality of health care is under intense scrutiny with many health care systems not performing to their maximum potential. As a result, there is a high priority on redesigning health care systems to enhance the patient experience of care and to improve the health of populations while reducing the per capita cost. The recognition that systems of care necessitate increased collaboration and teamwork across the health professions has led to a renewed emphasis on team-based care delivery and on educating “team-ready” health care professionals. Accreditation standards for colleges of pharmacy now explicitly address the importance of educating pharmacy professionals who are “team-ready”. It is vital that preceptors and practicing pharmacists develop and maintain the core competencies for Interprofessional Education (IPE) so that learning and practice activities align with what is being taught throughout the curricula and across the country. Learning activities should be explicitly designed to prepare “team-ready” health care professionals. This course reviews the foundational concepts and definitions of IPE; share examples of IPE activities; provide strategies to integrate interprofessional concepts and activities into teaching and learning; and highlight resources that are available to help develop and implement IPE.