VIRUTAL POSTER Collaborative Competency

There are many resources and opportunities to support interprofessional education (IPE). While IPE is strongly supported by research, creating sustainable change is a noted challenge. Competency-based service opportunities create a lasting impact for students and their community. Partnering competency-based learning and IPE service opportunities form partnerships that fulfill a civic need while fortifying clinicians with translational skills.  

This session will discuss current literature supporting competency-based education (CBE) and how CBE can be strategically used to develop and strengthen interprofessional partnerships aimed at achieving community health equity. CBE is familiar to some health professions: however, not all disciplines have been exposed to this approach. This framework emphasizes setting measurable and observable goals for the learner. CBE assists the student in understanding expectations and bridges the gap from case-application to hands-on experience.  This approach involves establishing clear benchmarks and milestones for competencies throughout the students’ professional development. When goals are behavior-focused, progress can be easily identified. By beginning with a foundational understanding of the importance of a collaborative environment, students practice and demonstrate skills with the understanding that they are stronger as part of an interprofessional team. Through the use of competencies and goal-oriented behavior, interprofessional practice will be infused into their professional identity.  

By teaming up with other disciplines, community agencies, and providing services that may otherwise not be accessible to some, IPE experiences have the ability to meet the needs of patients as well as providing valuable educational experiences. Through experiences such as baby wellness screening, hearing and balance assessment, and pro bono clinic, students learn to practice interprofessional skills while giving back to their community. Integrating IPE and CBE into student learning will help students recognize the benchmarks that are best practices for the patients' health. These experiences infuse interprofessional practice into their distinct professional identity; therefore, continuing into practice. Students have the opportunity to practice discipline specific skills, grow as a collaborative member of the interprofessional team, and recognize the importance of social equity and population health. 

Participants will learn about successful examples of IPE that extend beyond traditional classrooms into community-based initiatives. Research on innovative educational strategies that prepare healthcare professionals with the specific competencies needed for effective collaboration across disciplines will be discussed as well as common barriers to translation. These strategies and educational interventions will effectively support skill acquisition and implementation into everyday practice. Descriptions of current IPE experiences will illustrate how competency-based approaches lead to successful community partnerships. These experiences address social determinants of health and reduce health disparities by fostering holistic, team-based care. The presentation will offer actionable insights for integrating CBE into interprofessional training to create impactful outcomes.