Developing IPE Faculty Champions: The CIPER Associates and Scholars Program
Background:
As our University establishes a presence in multiple geographic locations, there is an urgent need to foster the development of faculty prepared to design interprofessional student learning experiences and engage in interprofessional research and scholarship. To meet this need, the Center for Interprofessional Practice Education and Research (CIPER) developed the Associates and Scholars Program. The purpose of this two-year program is to develop IPE Champions who will work to advance CIPER's mission, vision, and strategic plan.
The two-year Associates and Scholars Program makes interprofessional development accessible to distance pathway faculty and offers flexibility with synchronous and asynchronous development sessions. CIPER Associates propose, develop, and implement an interprofessional project focused on pedagogy, professional and faculty development, or clinical practice. CIPER Scholars propose, develop, and implement an interprofessional project focused on research, quality improvement, or data analysis. A key component of the program is purposeful mentorship in an interprofessional dyad.
The purpose of this presentation is to describe the preliminary outcomes of the CIPER Associates and Scholars Program at the end of year one.
Methodology:
The inaugural cohort of Associates and Scholars consists of seven participants from occupational therapy, nursing, medicine, and marriage and family therapy. Prior to the start of the program, participants completed a virtual asynchronous introductory course on interprofessional education and collaborative practice. Following the introductory course, participants completed the Interprofessional Collaborative Competencies Attainment Survey (ICCAS) (Archibald, Trumpower, & MacDonald, 2014) and the IPEC Competencies Self-Assessment Tool (Lockeman et al., 2016) to assess perceived attainment of interprofessional competencies. The ICCAS and the IPEC Competencies Self-Assessment Tool will be administered to participants again at the end of year one and upon program completion.
CIPER mentors represent physical therapy, medicine, nursing, pharmacy, and healthcare ethics. To assess the perceived benefits of the mentorship component of the program, mentors and mentees will complete a modified version of the Mentorship Profile Questionnaire (Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing, 2006) at the end of year one and upon program completion.
Results:
Prior to beginning the program, participants reported a high level of perceived interprofessional competency. Year one results from the ICCAS, the IPEC Competencies Self-Assessment Tool, and the Mentorship Profile Questionnaire will be collected in August 2021 and reported during this presentation.
Conclusion: The CIPER Associates and Scholars Program is an effective development strategy to reach faculty at a distance.
Implications: Results from the end of year one will inform future program development.
