Interprofessional Education and Practice

Interprofessional education and collaborative practice form the foundation of delivering safe and efficient healthcare.

Interprofessional activities at the academic and practice levels promote new ways for individuals engaged in health care to learn with, from, and about one another; foster sound collaborative team dynamics; and create a culture of knowledge sharing that best serves patients.

Our Dedication to Collaborative Care

In all of these programs—UVM Colleges of Nursing and Health Sciences, Education and Social Services, Agriculture and Life Sciences, Larner College of Medicine, and the Albany College of Pharmacy—coordinated efforts have been made to honor the distinct contributions of every health professional. The UVM Medical Center, the Department of Nursing Faculty Practice at Appletree Bay, AHEC, along with various community partners, have established interprofessional learning and practice initiatives that enhance patient outcomes and increase satisfaction among patients and their families.

At UVM, interprofessional education encourages health professions students to collaborate, fostering knowledge and shared accountability for comprehensive, team-based care of patients and clients within a complex health care system. This approach is steered by the IPEC Interprofessional Education Collaborative's Core Competencies for Interprofessional Collaborative Practice (2016).

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Student Portal

How can I get involved?
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The interprofessional education initiative demands dedication from UVM students and faculty, community leaders, mentors, and employers of our graduates. Your involvement can significantly enhance the education of health sciences professionals, the delivery of health services, and community well-being. Consider engaging in one or more of the following ways:

- Engage in mandatory or elective IPE workshops and activities.
- Provide your faculty with feedback on IPE or IPP opportunities you find beneficial.

AHEC Interprofessional Team Challenge Award
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The AHEC Interprofessional Team Creative Challenge Award aims to inspire students to champion and honor interprofessional teamwork creatively. Various forms of creative expression are welcome to showcase:

- The value of interprofessional (IP) teamwork
- Instances of IP teamwork
- Traits of an effective team
- Diversity and inclusivity
- Patient-focused care leading to better outcomes
- Respectful collaborative teaching and learning
Each team member can win a prize of $250.

Eligibility Criteria:
- Submissions must be from an interprofessional student team comprising at least three different professions, with a minimum of three and a maximum of six students.
- Teams must employ a creative approach to illustrate interprofessional collaboration, such as music, photo essays, poetry, art, presentations, or any other expressive medium.
- The creative work should embody the collaboration of three or more students, showcasing creativity and the essence of interprofessional practice.

Selection Process:
- The AHEC Awards Committee, consisting of faculty, students, and health community public members, will select the winners.

Winners agree to have their names and contributions featured on the AHEC website and circulated among those advocating for interprofessional collaboration and practice by accepting the award.

Download AHEC Challenge guidelines (PDF) 

Interprofessional Education Events

All activities listed have been approved and are active.

TitleIPE Orientation: Roles and Responsibilities
DescriptionMany programs now require a pre-work module and attendance at a Zoom session for an introduction to IP roles.
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TitlePalliative Care Movie Discussion
DescriptionThe discussion will focus on palliative care for a couple managing ALS at home with the assistance of an interdisciplinary team, and will take place in small student groups. 
 View PDF

 

TitleVirtual Case of Mrs. Kim
DescriptionAfter interviewing Mrs. Kim online and reviewing feedback on their interview skills, students will participate in an interprofessional case conference and plan the care.
 View PDF

Register for an event

 

The goal of interprofessional education is to improve health outcomes through the education of a collaborative, practice-ready workforce that is prepared to respond to local health needs.
- World Health Organization, 2010
researchers

Interprofessional Learning Activities

Teamwork and Communication: Emergency Response in the Acute Care Setting
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Nursing, pharmacy, and social work students collaborate virtually to engage in simulated patient emergencies. They explore concepts from the TeamSTEPPS® framework and evaluate their teamwork during these emergencies.

Palliative Care and End-of-Life Discussion
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Students in nursing, communication sciences and disorders, medicine, and physical therapy collectively focus on a patient with ALS and their family during end-of-life care, considering the effects of terminal illness on the patient-caregiver dynamic. These scenarios are crafted to bring theoretical end-of-life concepts to life, emphasizing the patient and family experience. They acknowledge patients and families as integral to the interprofessional healthcare team, with goals and interventions developed in partnership.

Interprofessional Education Simulations
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Students from communication sciences and disorders, physical therapy, and nursing have engaged in interprofessional simulation experiences at the Eleanor M. Luse Center for Communication. They worked in teams to assess and advise a standardized patient with ALS-related swallowing and mobility challenges. The feedback was overwhelmingly positive, with the patient commenting, "I don't know what you're teaching these students, but it's working!"

Students specializing in communication sciences and disorders, aspiring to be speech-language pathologists, participated in three different scenarios alongside professionals. The focus was on collaborative, patient-centered care. Activities included explaining autism to a Spanish-speaking parent with a medical interpreter's assistance, supporting a mother of a child with hearing loss, and discussing treatment possibilities with a parent of a child who stutters.

For involvement in future simulations, please contact Danra Kazenski, Ph.D., CCC-SLP, at dkazensk@med.uvm.edu.

Online Case Conferencing
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Initially, students conduct an interview with Mrs. Kim in a virtual online clinic and receive feedback on their interviewing skills. Subsequently, students from graduate programs in nursing, physical therapy, social work, pharmacy, and communication sciences and disorders engage in an online interprofessional case conference to plan the care for this elderly patient and her family.

Practice Oppurtunities
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The Vermont Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities (VT LEND) program is designed to train leaders from various health and education fields to support children with special health needs and their families.

SASH Clinical Rotations
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Dietetic and nurse practitioner students pair up to interview elders in their homes for the SASH wellness annual assessment. This collaboration allows students to exchange their unique perspectives, ultimately benefiting the residents of senior housing facilities.

Appletree Bay Primary Care
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Nurse practitioner and pharmacy students are assigned a shared patient schedule. Pharmacy students review current medications and offer suggestions to nurse practitioner students on monitoring for side effects, necessary lab monitoring, and patient education.

IPE Course Options
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NH 50: Applications to Health: From Person to Systems is a one-credit undergraduate course that introduces first-year students in the College of Nursing and Health Sciences to interprofessional education, covering a range of topics relevant to their future careers.

NH 051: Examining Interprofessional Practice (3 credits, undergraduate) explores three behaviors that lead to four conditions responsible for 50% of deaths in Vermont. It also looks at the disproportionate impact on people of color. Through small group work and case studies, students develop key interprofessional practice skills, such as teamwork and communication.

PRNU 121: Gerontology (3 credits, undergraduate level) examines the societal implications of aging and lays the groundwork for caring for older adults. It encourages students to reflect on the aging process, highlighting the challenges faced by the elderly, and promotes health strategies to reduce morbidity risks and functional decline in both community and care facility settings. The course also considers factors influencing the independence of older adults and common physiological, cognitive, emotional, social, and spiritual issues.

NH 396: Fundamentals of Critical Inquiry (3 credits, graduate level) is tailored for interprofessional research and evidence-based practice. It instructs students from various healthcare fields in developing research competencies, formulating clinical questions, evaluating literature and practice guidelines, and understanding experimental, quantitative, and qualitative research methods. The course aims to build a basic comprehension of evidence to inform clinical practice. Prerequisite: Enrollment as a graduate student.

The Integrative Health and Wellness Coaching Certificate, a 12-credit program, takes a holistic approach, combining conventional medical care with complementary therapies to deliver optimal, individualized care.