Interprofessional Education (IPE)

On this page, you will find information about Interprofessional Education (IPE) at Chatham University.

What is IPE and interprofessional collaborative practice (IPCP)?

Interprofessional education involves students from two or more health professions learning together during their training, with the goal of being able to collaborate in providing the highest-quality patient-centered healthcare. This is known as interprofessional collaborative practice (IPCP).

What is the goal of IPE?

The goal of IPE is to enhance communication and decision-making, allowing various domains of knowledge to complement each other. By doing so, we ensure that our students’ future professional interactions are more patient-centered and inclusive to the various professions that encompass comprehensive patient care.

The Chatham IPE committee developed the IPE curriculum to address the Interprofessional Education Collaborative (IPEC) Domains of Values/Ethics of Interprofessional Practice, Roles/Responsibilities, Interprofessional Communications and Teams/Teamwork.

Learn About IPEC

Frequently Asked Questions

Within the School of Health Sciences, Athletic Training, Graduate Psychology, Nursing, Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy and Physician Assistant students participate in three events over the course of an academic year. Each health science student is placed into a learning community with students from the other.

The fall event focuses on interprofessional communication and teamwork. Each learning community participates in a challenge course, containing a series of obstacles. These courses are a highly regarded tool for teaching leadership, teamwork and communication.

There are two spring events. First, each learning community is presented with a complex case study. With a faculty facilitator, the group talks through the case and highlights the roles and responsibilities of each of their professions in the given case. To conclude the session, each profession discusses and compares the values and ethical principles of their respective professions. The second event brings a guest speaker to cover pressing current issues in healthcare.

The benefits of IPE include the following:
  • meet and interact with students from other programs at Chatham
  • gain knowledge of the roles/responsibilities of other professions
  • gain further understanding of the tenets of teamwork
  • learn how to navigate difficult situations utilizing effective communication
  • learn how to ultimately improve patient outcomes

For many of the participating programs, the IPE curriculum falls within the pre-clinical phase. As such, it allows students to further develop their knowledge and hone pertinent skills necessary for success in the clinical phase and in their future profession. Specifics of how the IPE curriculum for each associated program integrates with the overall degree can be directed to the individual program.

IPE Committee Research

As part of our ongoing commitment to IPE, the committee conducts ongoing research to benefit its own curriculum and IPE as a whole. Below are published articles that arose from these scholarly endeavors.

  • Goreczny A, Bednarek ML, Hawkin SR, Hertweck ML, Schreiber J, Sterret SE. Assessing Self-Reported Interprofessional Competency in Health-Care Education: Impact of New Curriculum. The Internet Journal of Allied Health Sciences and Practice. 2016; 20; 14(3): Article 11.
  • Hertweck M, Hawkins SR, Bednarek ML, Goreczny A, Schreiber J, Sterrett SE. Attitudes toward Interprofessional Education: Comparing Physician Assistant and other health care professions students. J Physician Assist Educ. 2012; 23(2): 8-15.
  • Schreiber J, Goreczny A, Bednarek M, Hawkins S, Hertweck M, Sterrett S. The Effects of a Single Event Interprofessional Education (IPE) Experience on Occupational Therapy Students’ Attitudes Toward IPE. The Internet Journal of Allied Health Sciences and Practice. 2014; 12(1): 1-8.