About Us
The University of Toledo has been an innovative leader in addressing interprofessional education for health sciences students.
Both faculty and students have presented information at national conferences, spoken at other educational institutions, and published articles based on UToledo’s IPE activities.
In 2014, based upon the results of a pilot and a mandate from the President and the Health Sciences Deans, the University of Toledo implemented a large-scale interprofessional education (IPE) program which is currently required for 8 health professions (with an additional 2 professions enrolling some of their students).
Professions involved in UToledo's IPE include:
- medicine
- nursing
- occupational therapy
- pharmacy
- physical therapy
- physician assistant studies
- respiratory care
- social work
- speech language pathology
- public health
For many of these programs, IPE is an accreditation requirement.
Our Method
Our Interprofessional Education Program (IPE) is a yearlong; two semester course. The goal of the program is for students to gain an understanding and appreciation of the roles and scope of practice of different professions; the impact of “team” on patient care and quality improvement; and the importance of the IPEC Core Competencies.
Students meet bi-weekly during the fall semester with Friday afternoons set aside for IPE across campus. The course is taught by an Interprofessional (IP) faculty group in 48 small IP teams of 11- 12 students. The course is experiential, case-based and includes simulations. Components of the course include: interprofessional (IP) team simulations, team communications, standardized patient interviews, IP care planning exercises, vital signs training in IP groups, social determinants of health, roles/responsibilities, and a hands-on session focused on patient safety hazards.
A “passport/portfolio” approach is employed in the spring semester to offer and track students’ involvement in IPE activities. Most of the professions require students to conduct one interprofessional simulation in which students work in an IP team to participate in a simulation with a high-fidelity simulator. Simulation scenarios are designed to building upon skills taught in the fall semester and reinforce team communication. In addition, most professions require a second IPE experience of their choosing. Some of the options include: Cost of Poverty Experience, Naloxone training, health behavior change module, rehabilitation team conferences, multidisciplinary trauma team conferences, Senior Behavioral health conferences, Writing Mentor experience, Escape Room, Impede the Bleed, and human trafficking. The passport program allows students to choose sessions based on their interests and schedule.