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Interprofessional Education (IPE)

What is the Interprofessional Educational Program?

The Interprofessional Educational program (IPE) within University of Utah Health equips health professions trainees with essential competencies that cross medical disciplines and prepares them to work as members of an interprofessional team – part of an overall transformation of care across the country.

In the College of Health (COH), IPE is embedded within athletic trainingphysical therapy, occupational therapy, recreational therapy, audiology, speech language pathology, and nutrition courses. Student care providers participate in educational experiences that require them to work as team members – collaborating, planning, coordinating, learning from one another to improve health outcomes.

How To Use The Video

In an effort to expose undergraduates in the COH to IPE the above video was developed for use in introductory courses. The goal of the video is to introduce undergraduate students who are considering a career in health care to the degrees available through the University of Utah’s College of Health and how these professions might work together.

Video Context

Suggestions for the use of this video with the supplemental information include:

  • Introducing students to a variety of healthcare disciplines to assist with career exploration.
  • Demonstrating how different health professionals interact during an interdisciplinary team meeting.
  • Highlighting similarities and differences between each profession when addressing the needs of a patient after a cerebral vascular accident.
  • Introducing students to terminology used in medical documentation and communication.

The video depicts an Interprofessional Treatment Team discharge meeting. The setting of this team meeting is an inpatient rehabilitation unit.

The team has come together to discuss the discharge needs of the client. Each discipline reports their findings and recommendations. As is typical of most IP meetings, after a formal report by each professional, a discussion follows to clarify information and make collective recommendations for the patient and significant members of the client’s support system.

The simulation represents an example of possible members of a health-care IP team. It’s not all-encompassing. Each discipline is represented by a student in the final year of their program. 

Supplemental Chart

This document representing the patient’s medical chart complements the video. Much of the information reported by each profession is in the chart but in a longer format and includes more medical terminology.

Contact the College of Health Interprofessional Education Team

If you have questions about the video or suggestions for additional uses, please contact the College of Health Committee Chair Beth Cardell at beth.cardell@hsc.utah.edu or 801-585-5511.The COH IPE Committee aims to increase IPE opportunities within the college and in conjunction with other departments on campus.

Faculty who contributed to this project are members of the COH IPE Committee and include:

  • Beth Cardell, PhD, OTR/LD
  • James Ballard, PT, DPT, GCS, WCS
  • Justin Rigby, PhD, LAT, ATC
  • Pamela Mathy, Ph.D., CCC-SLP
  • Sandra K. Negley M.S., MTRS, CTRS, FDRT
  • Susan R. Naidu, PhD, CCC-A, FAAA
  • Theresa Dvorak MS, RD, ATC, CSSD