In this article, we argue that interprofessional competencies are increasingly necessary to achieving success in all facets of a professional psychologist's work. We note that the growing complexity of health challenges facing Canadians requires a renewed investment in interprofessional care and interdisciplinary research. We define key terms and discuss significant national and international trends toward interprofessional, competency-based training in health professional education. In Canada, psychology has been largely absent from these efforts, and we identify barriers that may be inhibiting psychology's participation in interprofessional education (IPE). We describe a model for integrating competency-based IPE across the continuum of professional training, and provide an example of the model's implementation. We then offer a number of recommendations for the future of professional psychology training and argue that involvement in high-quality IPE should be a program and internship accreditation requirement. Finally, we conclude by discussing the implications for the future of psychology as a health care profession if we fail to modify our current training model.
Public Significance StatementThis article argues that interprofessional competencies are increasingly necessary to achieving success in all facets of a professional psychologist's work; however, there is currently no requirement for professional psychology programs to teach or assess these vital competencies. We describe a model for integrating competency-based Interprofessional Education (IPE) across the continuum of professional training, provide an example of the model's implementation, and discuss recommendations for incorporating IPE into accreditation standards. Failure to decisively champion IPE may result in reduced access to psychological services for Canadians in the future, and may limit the capacity of psychology graduates to provide safe and effective care.
Interprofessional education (IPE) is a growing focus for educators in health professional academic programs. Recommendations to successfully implement IPE are emerging in the literature, but there remains a dearth of evidence informing the bigger challenges of sustainability and scalability. Transformation to interprofessional education for collaborative person-centred practice (IECPCP) is complex and requires “harmonization of motivations” within and between academia, governments, healthcare delivery sectors, and consumers. The main lesson learned at the University of Manitoba was the value of using a formal implementation framework to guide its work. This framework identifies key factors that must be addressed at the micro, meso, and macro levels and emphasizes that interventions occurring only at any single level will likely not lead to sustainable change. This paper describes lessons learned when using the framework and offers recommendations to support other institutions in their efforts to enable the roll out and integration of IECPCP.
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