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The University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC) College of Pharmacy provides students from across colleges and programs (i.e., medicine, nursing, physician assistant, physical therapy, occupational therapy, etc.) the opportunity to engage in interprofessional education and practice with the expressed purpose of increasing mutual respect and understanding of their unique roles and perspectives, enhancing collaboration and communication, and improving health outcomes. Interprofessional Education (IPE) is defined as situations when students from two or more professions learn about, from, and with each other to enable effective collaboration and improve health outcomes.1
To promote a practice ready pharmacist that is ready to provide patient care with all members of the health care team, interprofessional education efforts at the UTHSC College of Pharmacy are designed to facilitate the development of core competencies for interprofessional collaborative care as identified by the Interprofessional Education Collaborative and Accreditation Counsel for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) standards.2-3
Students at UTHSC College of Pharmacy are required to participate in interprofessional activities during every semester in the didactic curriculum, interacting with students and faculty from medicine, physician assistant, nursing, dentistry, occupational therapy, physical therapy, social work, etc. During practice experiences with a team-based component, our students will have the opportunity to practice shared therapeutic decision-making with prescribers. UTHSC College of Pharmacy strives to provide opportunities in classroom settings, simulated environments, and in the community so that students can achieve the identified core competencies2 prior to graduation:
- Work with individuals of other professions to maintain a climate of mutual respect and shared values;
- Use the knowledge of one’s own role and those of other professions to appropriately assess and address the healthcare needs of the patients and populations served;
- Communicate with patients, families, communities, and other health professionals in a responsive and responsible manner that supports a team approach to the maintenance of health and the treatment of disease; and,
- Apply relationship-building values and the principles of team dynamics to perform effectively in different team roles to plan and deliver patient-/population-centered care that is safe, timely, efficient, effective and equitable.
- WHO (World Health Organization). Framework for action on interprofessional education and collaborative practice. 2010. [March 4, 2013]. http://www.who.int/hrh/resources/framework_action/en/index.html.
- Interprofessional Education Collaborative. (2016). Core competencies for interprofessional collaborative practice: 2016 update. Washington, DC: Interprofessional Education Collaborative.
- Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education. 2016. Accreditation standards and key elements for the professional program in pharmacy leading to the Doctor of Pharmacy degree. Available at https://www.acpe-accredit.org/pdf/Standards2016FINAL.pdf.
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