Establishing a Pilot Interprofessional Education (IPE) Program in a Higher Education Institution (HEI) in the Philippines

Abstract

A pilot interprofessional education (IPE) program in the Philippines has been initiated in a private higher education institution by three Filipinos who were formally trained in IPE from a World Health Organization (WHO) Collaborating Centre for Research and Training on IPE. Guided by the WHO educator and curricular mechanisms on IPE and an understanding of the local context, a four-stage action plan was created for the pilot IPE program, which involved 10 health science programs. The experience from the initial implementation was challenging and required perseverance as well as inclusive leadership. Nevertheless, the program’s accomplishments such as continuous faculty training in IPE, constant communication among faculty members and students on IPE, and an inter-university collaboration to host the first-ever local IPE conference were noted. The article concludes with lessons learned from the pilot IPE program and future directions in further contributing to the growth and sustainability of IPE programs in the Philippines.

Twelve tips to facilitate Interprofessional Education and Collaborative Practice with students on placements in healthcare settings

“…The framework chosen can also guide the development of tutorial content and case studies. Setting expectations and a plan early in the placement will better prepare the student to fully engage with IPECP activities (Sy et al, 2020). The student can be taught by other healthcare professionals in the team, carers, and even clients themselves which is likely to provide a rich learning experience that fosters IPECP in action.…”

“…Activities towards professional development can include continuing education (e.g., completing formal courses and degree programs, certifications, and credentialing), attending and/or presenting in conferences, participating and/or facilitating workshops, volunteering in committees, research, job performance enhancement and undertaking independent projects. Facilitating IPECP in learners starts with the educator first upskilling in this area (Sy et al, 2021;Lie et al, 2016), which helps with facilitating an evidence-informed and intentional IPECP placement. Clinical educators can give the student role assignments in the unit, offer to join a committee for a short-term task, and, when able, allow them to lead a team (thereby, fostering collaborative/ distributed leadership).…”