Description of a Longitudinal Interprofessional Education Plan and Outcomes From an Inaugural Student Cohort

Objective: To describe a longitudinal interprofessional education (IPE) plan at 1 school of pharmacy including inaugural student cohort outcomes.

Methods: Standards 2016 prompted the creation of an IPE task force at the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Pharmacy to develop and implement an IPE plan consisting of outcome-based goals, a deliberate design, and a formalized assessment strategy (an approach that inspired national consensus guidance from the Health Professions Accreditors Collaborative). Beginning with the 2022 graduating class, required interprofessional learning activities were embedded longitudinally across a 4-year Doctor of Pharmacy program and included classroom-, simulation-, and clinical-based IPE activities. Student learning outcomes, focused on attitudes, skills, and behaviors, were assessed longitudinally using 3 self-reported, validated measures allowing before and after comparisons: Student Perceptions of Interprofessional Clinical Education-Revised, Version 2, Interprofessional Education Collaborative Competency Self-Assessment Tool, Version 3, and Interprofessional Collaborative Competencies Attainment Survey-Revised, coupled with the Individual Teamwork Observation and Feedback Tool.

Results: End point Student Perceptions of Interprofessional Clinical Education-Revised, Version 2 and Interprofessional Education Collaborative Competency Self-Assessment Tool, Version 3 average scores were in the agree to strongly agree range with statistically significant before and after change in 80% (4 of 5) of subscales. Students' attainment and demonstration of positive teamwork behaviors were evidenced by statistically significant before and after changes in advanced pharmacy practice experience student Interprofessional Collaborative Competencies Attainment Survey-Revised scores and universal satisfactory ratings of advanced pharmacy practice experience students on the Individual Teamwork Observation and Feedback Tool.

Conclusion: A developmentally progressive, longitudinal IPE plan was implemented into a 4-year Doctor of Pharmacy program. Inaugural student cohort assessment results documented students were prepared for interprofessional practice upon graduation.