Virtual Interprofessional Education Collaborative (VIPEC) Information & Introduction
World Health Organization Definition of Interprofessional Education (IPE) and Collaborative Practice:
· “Interprofessional education occurs when students from two or more professions learn about, from and with each other to enable effective collaboration and improve health outcomes.
· Interprofessional education is a necessary step in preparing a “collaborative practice-ready” health workforce that is better prepared to respond to local health needs.
· A collaborative practice-ready health worker is someone who has learned how to work in an interprofessional team and is competent to do so.
· Collaborative practice happens when multiple health workers from different professional backgrounds work together with patients, families, careers and communities to deliver the highest quality of care. It allows health workers to engage any individual whose skills can help achieve local health goals” (2010, p. 7).
Goal of VIPEC:
To provide virtual health care students from five universities with an interprofessional orientation and virtual training experience in the care of patients across the continuum of care (family practice, emergency department, hospital admission, sub-acute care, and home), with an emphasis in promoting their physical, psychological, social and spiritual well-being through collaborative health care practices.
VIPEC Learning Objectives:
Students will work in interprofessional (IP) teams that include a faculty preceptor and a number of health profession students from family nurse practitioner, physical therapy, physician assistant, occupational therapy, social work, and speech-language pathology and public health online programs at Georgetown University, GW, New York University, University of Southern California, and Yale University in a virtual online setting to: (1) learn the fundamentals of interprofessional care, (2) understand the role of health-care disciplines and when to refer, (3) examine and define the roles of PA, FNP, PT, OT, SW, and SLP across a spectrum of care settings from Family Practice, to Emergency Department, to Hospital Admission, to Sub-Acute Care, to Home, (4) understand why follow-up care is important, and (5) understand the role of health-care reimbursement.
VIPEC Format:
Students will:
· Work in student teams, representing health disciplines from 5 universities
· Be assigned an IPE faculty mentor
· Attend an online virtual Interprofessional education session
· Engage in a simulation/discussion of Interprofessional care through a case vignette
· Students will complete pre-test and post-test surveys