The Influence of IPE

Does campus-based interprofessional education (IPE) really influence professional practice? Will it make a meaningful difference in your real-world capacity for teamwork and patient-centered care? And perhaps equally important: do employers care about IPE skills?

We asked 51小黄车alumni these questions and found that IPE experience on campus not only influenced practice but was a valuable asset in obtaining employment and opening up leadership opportunities. 

The study, Interprofessional Education: A 5-year Analysis of its Impact on Workplace Practice,* involved 94 51小黄车alumni from 9 51小黄车health professions programs in surveys and focus groups. We gathered both quantitative (survey), and qualitative (focus groups) data.

Everything in care is about teamwork鈥鈥檝e learned that if someone is hurting it doesn鈥檛 matter what profession I鈥檓 in, it matters what I do.鈥 鈥 Regina Phillips, M.S.W. 鈥16

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Participants found significant benefit from campus-based IPE activities.
 

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Knowledge learned from campus IPE activities positively transferred to the workforce.

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Participants reported having IPE experience was a factor in employers鈥 hiring and promotion decisions.  

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Learning about other professions before entering practice gave participants confidence working in professional teams.

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Participants enjoyed learning from diverse perspectives and felt it strengthened their practice.

[Interprofessional education] positively impacted my ability to collaborate and work effectively with my colleagues, clients, and families.鈥 鈥 Lauren Hallberg, OT 鈥19

The importance of interprofessional teamwork

Participating in this research as a student has proven to be a valuable aspect of my education optimizing patient outcomes. My early exposure to the interdisciplinary aspects of patient care and its benefits enhances my ability to provide holistic patient care now and in future practice.鈥 鈥 Kelsey Pelletier, College of Osteopathic Medicine 鈥23

Kelsey Pelletier headshot

It was wonderful having the opportunity to work interprofessionally with peers and faculty alike to investigate interprofessional practice clinically. Research with CAIEP has been an invaluable addition to my graduate education.鈥 鈥 Dakota Rogers, Occupational Therapy 鈥22

Dakota Rogers headshot

Campus team-based experiences are building blocks going into professional practice. Having them with other professions wrapped up together helped us breakdown biases by getting to know and talk to people in roles that you haven't talked to before.鈥 鈥 Greg Blackman, MSPA, PA-C, ATC 鈥20

Gregory Blackman

My input as a student and future colleague was valued consistently throughout my time with this team. Collaborating within an interprofessional team on a study that sought to investigate the impact of interprofessional education prior to entering health care was a particularly wonderful experience.鈥 鈥 Caroline Jaeger, College of Osteopathic Medicine 鈥24

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*Thank you to the Office of Research and Scholarship for Faculty Mini-grant support