Interprofessional Education (IPE) is an approach to teaching and learning that brings together students from two or more professions to learn about, from, and with each other in service of enabling effective collaboration. The goal of IPE is to improve health outcomes through the education of a practice-ready health care team that is prepared to respond to local health needs (WHO, 2010).
Interprofessional Collaborative Practice (IPCP), or “Practice Transformation,” in health care occurs when multiple health workers from different professional backgrounds provide comprehensive services by working with patients, their families, carers and communities to deliver the highest quality of care across setting (WHO, 2010). The Interprofessional Education Collaborative (IPEC) states that, “interprofessional collaborative practice drives safe, high-quality, accessible, person-centered care and improved health outcomes” (2019).
Interprofessional Education (IPE) is more than sitting passively in a classroom together. It is integrative, experiential, and about learning and practicing the skills needed to function effectively as a highly collaborative team. Interprofessional collaborative practice makes care safer, more patient-centered, and it leads to lower burnout and higher job satisfaction amongst health professionals.
University of Washington Interprofessional Education
Since 2016, the Health Sciences Board of Deans has supported the central coordination of Interprofessional Education (IPE) at the University of Washington. This support has allowed for the UW IPE program to successfully meet all health professional training programs’ accreditation requirements for IPE, and to creatively grow an array of programs and projects that can engage students across their pre-licensure learning trajectory. IPE welcomes students from social work, medicine, nursing, pharmacy, public health, dentistry, dietetics, physical therapy, physician assistant, health administration, prosthetics and orthotics, and speech and language pathology programs.
IPE at the University of Washington is comprised of a diverse array of programs and events available to faculty, staff and students from the six UW Health Sciences Schools (Dentistry, Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy, Public Health, and Social Work) as well as community partners (providers, clinics, medical centers, patient rights organizations, and others). IPE offerings include courses and training events for students at all educational levels (from pre-licensure to advanced practice); thesis projects for graduate students; community-service learning opportunities; IPE leadership and team training for educators, administrators, clinicians/health professionals, IPE facilitators; and much more. Funding for our programs comes from the University of Washington Health Sciences Administration and Health Sciences Schools, as well as private and federal grants.
For information about the UW Health Sciences Schools, visit their websites: