Better Together: Implementing Longitudinal IPE Curricula and Assessment Strategies Involving Multiple Health Professions Education Programs

Intentional longitudinal curricula instilling interprofessional principles, skills, and behaviors is critical to developing a collaborative practice ready workforce. Further, assessment of student learning and competency in interprofessional learning environments provides necessary data to support and demonstrate the impact of interprofessional learning. Although interprofessional education (IPE) is an essential component to building effective interprofessional practices, gaps remain in strategies to design longitudinal IPE curricula and assess student competency.

At UNC Chapel Hill, the Office of Interprofessional Education and Practice (O-IPEP) supports interprofessional endeavors that enhance the capacity and capability to improve health outcomes. It aims to be the model for interprofessional education and practice, and produce graduates who transform healthcare. To achieve this, O-IPEP utilizes a developmental curricular model to develop collaborative practice ready graduates. This model embraces a 3Cs approach to develop student competency in the areas of Cooperation, Coordination, and Collaboration. Students progress through a series of activities that contribute to their development of Me-to-We (Cooperation), We-in-Teams (Coordination), and Teams-in-Systems (Collaboration). Activities are strategically aligned with this model to develop students’ collaborative practice readiness.

Since 2021, O-IPEP has utilized a coordinated assessment strategy evaluating student self-efficacy in IPEC Core Competencies across the longitudinal IPE curriculum. This approach assesses student competency and informs continuous quality improvement efforts. Over 7,500 students across 18 disciplines have participated in the O-IPEP curriculum. Students rated increased confidence in several IPEC Competencies after participating in these activities, indicating the O-IPEP curriculum is advancing learning and IPE competency. For example, student confidence increased 320% with participation in Cooperation domain activities in Fall 2022, indicating students are developing appreciation for every team member and shifting their perspective from Me to We. As students participate in advanced activities focused on Coordination (We-in-Teams) and Collaboration (Teams-in-Systems), they further develop their ability to function as a collaborative practice team member.

In an era of increasing calls for competency-based education, more information is needed on strategies to support longitudinal IPE curricula and assess student competency development. This session addresses this gap by describing a longitudinal curriculum model embracing a 3Cs approach (Cooperation, Coordination, Collaboration) to develop student competency, assess student IPEC Competency in IPE activities, and utilize assessment data to guide IPE curriculum optimization. This session also provides strategies for adaptation using the 2023 IPEC Competencies and aligns closely with the Summit theme Building the IPE Case Through Information, Evidence, and Outcomes. After attending, participants will be able to:
1. Identify strategies for longitudinal IPE curricula involving multiple health professions
2. Describe strategies to assess student competency in longitudinal IPE curricula
3. Reflect on strategies to support longitudinal curricula and student IPE competency development that align with the 2023 IPEC Competencies at their home institution.

This session will engage participants in three domains directly aligned with the session objectives: (1) longitudinal curricula, (2) assessing student competency, and (3) application at home institutions. Audience-response questions and group discussion using structured prompts will serve as active learning tools, providing real-time feedback to ensure the most common questions/interests are addressed and gauge participants’ understanding/application of material.