Developing communities of interprofessional practice: using a communities of practice framework for interprofessional...

Area of Science:

• Health Professions Education
• Interprofessional Practice
• Curriculum Development

Background:

• Implementing Interprofessional Education Collaborative (IPEC) competencies is a significant challenge for academic institutions and healthcare organizations.
• Faculty and administrators require effective strategies to design and deliver robust interprofessional education (IPE) programs.
• Existing curricula may not adequately prepare students for collaborative practice environments.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe a novel curricular design for interprofessional education.
• To outline a 2-year program structure incorporating learning communities and a defined number of learning sessions.
• To establish a framework for developing interprofessional clinicians skilled in collaborative practice.

Main Methods:

• The study outlines a curricular design based on a 2-year learning community model.
• The program includes a structured plan for 5 distinct interprofessional learning sessions.
• The theoretical framework underpinning the design is 'communities of practice'.

Main Results:

• The described curricular design facilitates the integration of IPEC competencies.
• The learning community approach fosters sustained interprofessional interaction over 2 years.
• The model aims to cultivate clinicians adept at effective collaborative practice.

Conclusions:

• The proposed curricular design offers a practical approach to implementing IPEC competencies.
• Utilizing learning communities and a communities of practice framework can enhance interprofessional collaboration skills.
• This model provides a scalable solution for institutions facing challenges in IPE program development.