April is interprofessional education (IPE) month, and the
Indiana University Interprofessional Practice and Education Center (IU IPE)
will spend the month promoting IPE and collaborative care through a variety of
means.
We will be sharing a “Voices of IPE” video series featuring IPE practitioners,
thought leaders, and students on our social media. These videos will ask those
most closely involved why IPE is crucial to future professionals and how it
helps form their education.
The IU IPE team will also spend the month of April traveling
Indiana as they hold thirteen TEACH events across eight different campuses. One
additional TEACH event will be conducted in a virtual environment. These events
promote collaborative practice by allowing students to act as part of an
interprofessional team while meeting with standardized patients.
On April 9th, the IU Center for Rural Engagement presents
the Washington County Wellness Fair. IU IPE is one of over 30 different
university and community partners who have worked together to organize this event.
It will have free access to health screenings, mental health and community
resources, Naloxone kits and overdose prevention training, screenings for
children, and more. The Washington County Wellness Fair will be open 10am–3pm
at the Washington County Family YMCA Campus.
Then, on April 23rd, IU IPE partners with the IUSchool of Dentistry and the IU/Methodist Family Medicine Center to provide
comprehensive health and dental exams at the interprofessional Well-Child and
Oral Health Clinic. This clinic allows dental, dental hygiene, family medicine
residents, and physician assistant learners to work in teams with children and
their caregivers to improve oral health care and overall health.
The National Academies of Practice initially declared April Interprofessional
Healthcare Month at the 2016 Forum. You can read and share their official proclamation
by visiting the National Academies of Practice website.