Interprofessional Education: An Exploration in Physical Therapist Education

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSEInterprofessional education (IPE) has been a topic of national and international discussion for several decades.1'8 As defined by the World Health Organization (WHO), IPE is education in which "students from two or more professions learn about, from, and with each other to enable improved health outcomes."5 Widely accepted as being integral to the provision of safe, high-quality, and accessible patient-centered care, IPE has gained momentum and support during the past decade and has been adopted and promoted by many health profession organizations.9'16 In 2009, 6 national organizations representing higher education in dentistry, medicine (allopathic and osteopathic), nursing, pharmacy, and public health formed the Interprofessional Education Collaborative (IPEC) to help advance IPE and promote team-based care. In 2011, the collaborative published Core Competencies for Interprofessional Collaborative Practice (Core Competencies) to help guide development of health professions curricula and prepare students to effectively practice teamwork and team-based health care.12'13 These core competencies are grouped into 4 domains: (1) values/ethics, (2) roles/responsibilities, (3) interprofessional (IP) communication, and (4) teams/teamwork. For a complete listing of the core competencies, please refer to Appendix A.Although many health care professions, including physical therapy, were not represented directly in the development of these core competencies, the competencies are widely applicable. Many health professions have adopted and promoted the competencies and, in some cases, have integrated them into educational accreditation standards along with the requirements for IPE.The physical therapy profession historically has been involved in interdisciplinary initiatives in the educational setting, learning alongside students from other professions such as occupational therapy. Similarly, the profession is involved in collaborative practice initiatives in patient care in areas such as pediatrics, geriatrics, and rehabilitation. "Collaborative practice," (CP) as defined by WHO, is "health care that occurs when multiple health workers from different professional backgrounds provide comprehensive services by working together synergistically along with patients, their families, careers and communities to deliver the highest quality of care across settings."5 The acronym often used when referring to both interprofessional education and collaborative practice in patient care settings is IPECP (interprofessional education and collaborative practice). Thus, IPECP initiatives have included professional development activities, participation at inter- professional meetings and conferences, and integration of IPE activities in an increasing number of physical therapist education programs, as evidenced in the 2010 issue of Journal of Physical Therapy Education devoted to IPE.17 However, with the recent development of the IPEC Core Competencies and considering the role rehabilitation and physical therapy play in improving health care, it became apparent to the American Council on Academic Physical Therapy (ACAPT) that the physical therapy profession needed to become more involved in promoting efforts related to IPECP. Although the 2014 version of the Evaluative Criteria for Physical Therapist Education Programs did not address the IPEC Core Competencies or specifically mention IPECP, the recently adopted Standards and Required Elements for Accreditation of Physical Therapist Education Programs (effective January 1, 2016) include a criterion for didactic and clinical curriculum interprofessional learning activities that are directed toward the development of interprofessional competencies. It should be noted that this criterion will not become effective until January 1,2018.18The mission of ACAPT, a component of the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA), is to "serve and lead academic physical therapy by promoting excellence in education, scholarship and research, practice, and service to improve the health and wellness of society. …