Interprofessional Education: A Growing Force Behind the Team Care Revolution

Interprofessional education (IPE) is, in some cases, a genuine effort to improve health professions training programs and in others, a "box that must be checked" for program accreditation. The types of training and trainees involved in IPE initiatives are wide-ranging, and efforts to articulate measurable competencies for different developmental levels and disciplines are in their infancy. Still, leaders in IPE have indicated that just as the evolving healthcare system is putting new training demands on academic health centers/health professionals training programs to teach team care, strong IPE programs can fuel and empower the health care industry. In this session, a panel of IPE leaders from a range of professional backgrounds (nursing, pharmacy, medicine, psychology) answer essential questions about the evolution and trajectory of IPE as a catalyst for improved health care. Describe the current tensions in the academic environment around IPE programming. Identify crucial "next steps" for IPE programs in better fitting with health care evolution. Discuss how IPE could, if empowered to do so, fuel an even stronger team care capacity within health care.