Education at OHSU

Interprofessional Education

Since 2012, the Interprofessional Initiative (IPI) has helped drive an educational revolution at OHSU. Interprofessional education (IPE) occurs when learners from two or more professions learn about, from, and with each other in order to collaborate more effectively. Working across OHSU's schools and programs, our IPE program aims to create healthcare workers who are committed to making team-based, patient-centered care the new standard. The success of the Interprofessional Initiative relies on collaboration among administrators, faculty, students, community partners and patients.

OHSU’s Interprofessional Education Initiative is a signature experience for students in the clinical health professions at OHSU. We offer a variety of interprofessional educational opportunities for our students across many of our programs.

The core of our initiative is the IPE Foundations of Patient Safety and Interprofessional Practice Course, where incoming clinical program students take part in an institution-wide course. The course focuses on the four IPE Core Competencies (teams/teamwork, communication, roles/responsibilities, ethics/values), patient safety, and collaborative care. This collaboration with two other Oregon institutions – Oregon State University and Oregon Institute of Technology - is only possible thanks to the continued financial support of OHSU and sustained joint efforts of our programs, faculty, students, and staff.

The Campus for Rural Health (CRH) Program offers another opportunity for interprofessional education. In clinical rotations offered through the CRH, students from across programs learn, live, and work together while engaging with the local community, deepening their understanding of collaborative practice in challenged rural healthcare settings.

While there are core courses dedicated to IPE, there are also electives, events, and experiences offered throughout our programs - please explore all of the ways we practice interprofessional education at OHSU. Under the direction of the IPI Steering Committee, composed of members from different schools and programs, OHSU will continue to facilitate and grow quality interprofessional education, practice, and research.

Nominations now open for the IPE Education Curriculum Development Award!

Faculty from across OHSU's missions, Schools and Colleges are eligible. This award recognizes an individual or team for outstanding contributions to the development of IPE curricula involving courses, activities, sessions, or collaborations in the didactic, clinical, simulated or community environment. The award will be given at the annual OHSU Education Symposium closing plenary as a physical award, recognition of accomplishments, and award money up to $3,000 to be used for attendance at an IPE-related conference for the following academic year.

The nomination deadline is April 1, 2024. Please nominate through Smartsheet (to be updated in 2024).

Nominations are open to:

  • Faculty from all missions (clinical, education, research, community outreach), schools and colleges within OHSU
  • Self-nomination or colleague nomination 

The IPI steering committee will review applications, decide on the winner, and give the award at the OHSU Education Symposium.  Applications should include:

  • Letter outlining contributions to IPE curriculum 
  • Updated CV(s) 
  • Additional letters of support (optional) 

Questions? Email ipe@ohsu.edu

Frequently Asked Questions

Interprofessional education prepares health professions learners, at all levels, for working together with the common goal of improving our health system. IPE occurs when learners from two or more professions learn about, from, and with each other in order to collaborate more effectively (WHO, 2010). Working across OHSU's schools and programs, our IPE program aims to create healthcare workers who are committed to making team-based, patient-centered care the new standard.

Since 2012, the Interprofessional Initiative (IPI) has helped drive an educational revolution at OHSU. The OHSU IPI was formed to prepare all OHSU students for deliberatively and intelligently working together, with a common goal of building a safer and more effective patient-centered and community-oriented health care system within Oregon and across the United States. The success of the Interprofessional Initiative relies on collaboration among administrators, faculty, students, community partners and patients.

IPI is the acronym for the OHSU Interprofessional Initiative, and IPE is the nationally recognized acronym for Interprofessional Practice and Education.

You can learn more about the courses on the OHSU Curriculum Committee page.

IPE Foundations of Patient Safety and Interprofessional Practice

Radiation Therapy students using simulation interactive program.

At OHSU, we believe that team-based, collaborative care will result in more effective and safer care for patients, lower healthcare costs, and better outcomes for populations. That's why collaboration and educating a clinical and scientific workforce that addresses the health of populations in an interprofessional environment are goals of OHSU's Strategic Plan (Vision 2020). Since 2012, the OHSU IPI has put into action our commitment to fulfilling these goals. The IPE course entitled Foundations of Patient Safety and Interprofessional Practice – (IPE 401/501/601/701) is one example.

Interested in being a faculty facilitator for the 2022-2023 Online IPE Foundations Course? Please complete this sign-up form to indicate your availability. This form also includes details of how this course will be delivered online.

OHSU is proud to offer our Foundations of Patient Safety and Interprofessional Practice Course (IPE 401, 501, & 701), which introduces early healthcare learners to the four core competencies of interprofessional education:

Competency 1: Values/ ethics for interprofessional practice (VE)

Competency 2: Roles and responsibilities for collaborative practice (RR)

Competency 3: Interprofessional communication practice (CC)

Competency 4: Interprofessional teamwork and team-based practice (TT)1

 

1Interprofessional Education Collaborative. (2016). Core competencies for interprofessional collaborative practice: 2016 update. Washington, DC: Interprofessional Education Collaborative.

About 700 incoming students each year are required to take IPE Foundations. Students are assigned to groups of up to 15 students, and then combined in interprofessional teams of three or four.

We involve a range of students, including:

Clinical and educational faculty from all across OHSU and Oregon Tech facilitate in interprofessional pairs. It is an annual course which includes one 4-hour session each term (Fall, Winter and Spring), for three total sessions. For more details, OHSU members can visit the Interprofessional Practice and Education O2 site.

OHSU members can learn more at the Interprofessional Practice and Education O2 site. If you are an OHSU faculty and would like to facilitate in future sessions, please sign up. If you are not part of OHSU, please reach out to ipe@ohsu.edu for more information.

2023-2024 In person (and some online sections) IPE Foundations

Wednesday, October 4, 2023
1:00 PM to 4 PM
In addition to asynchronous work

Wednesday, January 17, 2024
1:00 PM to 4 PM
In addition to asynchronous work

Wednesday, April 10, 2024
1:00 PM to 4 PM
In addition to asynchronous work.

Three IPE Foundations students having a group discussion.