Interprofessional education tracks: One schools response to common IPE barriers

Area of Science:

• Health Professions Education
• Interprofessional Learning
• Curriculum Development

Background:

• Implementing interprofessional education (IPE) faces significant barriers on non-medical campuses.
• Pharmacy schools often struggle with large class sizes and diverse academic calendars.
• Integrating IPE requires creative solutions tailored to specific institutional contexts.

Purpose of the Study:

• To design and implement a longitudinal, multi-track IPE series for pharmacy students.
• To overcome challenges related to class size, available disciplines, and academic calendars.
• To create flexible and adaptable IPE experiences on a liberal arts campus.

Main Methods:

• A three-semester, multi-track IPE course series was developed in 2018.
• Tracks included community wellness, health law, and quality management, involving diverse student groups.
• Pharmacy students were assigned tracks based on preference during their first year.

Main Results:

• The multi-track series successfully surmounted barriers to IPE implementation.
• Utilizing multiple partners, smaller cohorts, and virtual technology enhanced faculty flexibility.
• Students benefited from smaller groups and autonomy in managing their learning activities.

Conclusions:

• A non-traditional course structure enabled innovative solutions for IPE on a liberal arts campus.
• This model offers a scalable approach for implementing meaningful interprofessional experiences across various curricula.
• The flexibility and adaptability of this IPE model are key to its successful application.