The CAIPER Blog
How Harding University is Incorporating Interprofessional eLearning to Teach IPEC® Competencies
October 22, 2020
I frequently heard the following phrase as I was growing up from a somewhat well-meaning family member: “Do as I say, not as I do.”
Those words made an impression on me…but likely not the one intended.I came away with a deep conviction that to truly respect what others say, we have to model the behavior we are touting. The Arizona State University CAIPER program has done just that. The generous sharing of their online interprofessional education core competency eLearning modules changes the former phrase to: “Do As I Say AND As I Do!”
Teaching IPEC® competencies through eLearning
Interprofessional education and collaborative practice concepts are taught and enacted across all borders, both nationally and internationally. It is vital that we all practice patient-centered care using the four Interprofessional Education Collaborative (IPEC®) core competencies:
- Communication
- Teams & Teamwork
- Values & Ethics
- Roles & Responsibilities
With the shift to online learning, Harding University needed eLearning modules to teach the four IPEC® core competencies as a way to lay a solid foundation for our health science students early in their learning careers. CAIPER graciously allowed us to utilize their excellent resources and even supplemented the online modules with instructor tips and guidelines.
I am passionate about teaching healthy collaborative practice skills to our students and have complete faith that those students will in turn, provide benefit to every patient served from the implementation of those skills.
How Harding is using CAIPER eLearning modules
Currently, the CAIPER eLearning modules teaching the four IPEC® core competencies have been incorporated into a Canvas Course (Harding University's virtual classroom platform) and were recently employed in a didactic setting for first year pharmacy students. The online access to the material allowed the students to go through two modules as a class and then to finish the other two modules on their own time.
The students will now be able to participate in IPE activities with a better understanding of the skills they are trying to build and why it is important to build them.
Harding plans to expand the online module training to all health science students as they enter their respective programs (first semester) to improve their foundational training in interprofessional education and collaborative practice.
My experience of “Do As I Say AND As I Do?”
Communication – Every correspondence I received from multiple individuals at ASU were clear and full of valuable information. Supplements were sent for utilization and invitations for further communication were always extended.
Teams & Teamwork – CAIPER is a well-oiled machine in that members of their team worked flawlessly together to provide the requested information in a timely manner. Each member worked to support the mission of the organization as a whole.
Values & Ethics – Kindness and respect were consistent themes throughout all my communication with CAIPER. I literally felt their willingness to help educate my students because of their belief in the importance of IPECP.
Roles & Responsibilities – Each individual I corresponded with had a particular role and carried it out to the fullest.
I want to thank the Arizona State University CAIPER program on behalf of Harding University for modeling collaborative practice at the highest level and embodying the phrase “Do As I Say AND As I Do!”
About the Author
Dr. Debbie Knight currently serves as the Harding University Center for Health Sciences Interprofessional Education & Co-Curricular Program Coordinator, as well as, an Associate Professor for the College of Pharmacy. Dr. Knight’s practice background includes general, vascular and orthopedic surgery, internal, family and emergency medicine, a previous board certification in nuclear pharmacy and interprofessional medical missions in Nicaragua. Dr. Knight has a passion for interprofessional education and collaborative practice as fueled from her experience in the field.
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