Students beginning their interprofessional training this Fall won’t notice, but they will be the first to participate in a seismic shift to how interprofessional education (IPE) is delivered to Indiana University and IU IPE partner schools. A total revamp of the former TEACH curriculum is being implemented, and students entering the Orientation phase will be the first to receive this rollout.
Faculty members familiar with TEACH will notice significant changes to how the Orientation phase is handled. The most obvious will be that a member of the Indiana University Interprofessional Practice and Education Center (IU IPE) team will be visiting classrooms that are a part of the curriculum to introduce students to the center and the new offerings. This new approach allows students and faculty members to place a face to the curriculum. It also enables IU IPE to lay out the subsequent phases of collaborative-based learning while taking questions from students, allowing those who may need to become more familiar with interprofessional collaboration to receive information straight from the source.
These changes will not affect students already working through the old TEACH curriculum. They will continue on the path they’ve already begun with no disruptions to the quality or delivery of their interprofessional journey. The TEACH curriculum has proven to be an effective way to deliver successful collaborative experiences. This overhaul is a natural evolution brought on by evidence-based learning techniques. These new changes will only affect those students who have yet to enter the Orientation phase.
A new approach to interprofessional curriculum is only possible with the help and support of our stakeholders and faculty members. To better assist them with the upcoming changes, Dr. Julie LaMothe is creating new materials, including a brand new Canvas site, to help train those who facilitate these events.
“ The IU IPE Center has developed a new Facilitator Development Canvas site and live virtual sessions on Zoom to ensure that Facilitators have the necessary skills to guide students through this important Team Education Collaboration in Healthcare (TEACH) curriculum. Facilitators can be any faculty member, preceptor, alumni, graduate student, fellow, resident, licensed practitioner, or other associated with a health science program. The Faculty Development site also includes resource sharing, regular updates, collaboration opportunities, and highlighted IPE facilitator champions.” - Dr. Lamothe.
Some classes have already begun this new orientation rollout, while others will start their participation over the coming weeks. IU IPE has been in regular contact with all partner schools and has set dates to visit nearly every class. If you’re a part of the IU IPE curriculum and have not yet been contacted by either your department or IU IPE itself, email us at ipectr@iu.edu.