The purpose of this presentation is to present the process for integration of interprofessional education/collaboration (IPEC) into the graduate nursing curriculum. The goal of this IPEC project is to meet the mandates published in the Core Competencies for Interprofessional Collaborative Practice (Interprofessional Education Collaborative, 2011) as well as the American Association of Colleges of Nursing “Essentials of Doctoral Education for Advanced Nursing Practice”(2006). The objectives for this project are to: 1) Integrate IPEC model into the mental health concentration; 2.) Develop essential knowledge and skills in the graduate nursing students for integration of IPEC throughout their mental health concentration coursework and into their future roles as NPs; 3.) evaluate student attitudes following collaboration with other health care professionals.
Interprofessional Education Collaborative (IPEC), (2011) supports four core competencies: values and ethics, roles and responsibility, interprofessional communication teams and teamwork.
The students are Doctor of Nursing practice (DNP) students who are post-baccalaureate (BSN) or post-masters (MSN) and students in the post-masters mental health certification program.
Students participated in three surveys: Pre-survey for: 1.) Readiness for Inter-professional Learning Scale and 2.) Inter-disciplinary Education Perception Scale taken prior to introduction of IPEC content. Post survey at the conclusion of the semester for comparison.
Students completed four assignments which addressed the four core values of IPEC: Values and ethics, roles and responsibilities, interprofessional communication, and team and teamwork. The assignments built on each other.
Assignment 1: Select a client from your clinical practicum on whom you performed a mental health assessment and mental status exam. Based on your assessment, and discussion with the patient and/or the patient’s family identify three (3) other disciplines that your patient will benefit from as being part of the collaborative team.
Assignment 2 and 3: Identify two other health care professionals involved in the care of this patient if inpatient (or if outpatient identify and contact health care professionals). Collaborate with these person(s):
Make a problem statement. What need is this project is this collaborative partner addressing? What are YOUR treatment objectives that you have for this discipline for this patient? (Why have you selected these patient goals /what you are hoping to change or improve?)What is the problem being experienced by the patient? What are the needs of the patient? What is the IPEC evidence to support the methods used to address the issue? Provide references for your discussion.
Assignment 4: Tying it all together:
- What are the IPEC goals? Were your goals and the disciplines’ goals compatible?
- If possible discuss the patient history and responses to the interprofessional experience. Otherwise provide a hypothetical discussion of likely response. Be realistic because people are not always reliable and do not always follow through.
- Discuss the collaborative interprofessional team characteristics and behaviors.
- Analyze one of the interactions for qualities of patient centered care.
- What did you learn from this experience that you will take with you into your actual practice?
- Include a critique of the process. Did you choose the most appropriate disciplines for this patient/ family?
- What problems did you encounter?
- Discuss current issues that impact all healthcare professions
This IPEC model supports student learning by providing a step-wise approach for a practice change to improve health outcomes. Future direction includes the application of IPEC skills into other NP concentrations. The projected outcome of this project is that NP graduates will be prepared to apply a broad array of IPEC concepts and skills in Advanced Nursing Practice upon completion of this mental health concentration.
The Institutional Review Board designated the study as exempt.