TTUHSC Interprofessional Practice and Education (IPE) Experience
Title of the Interprofessional Practice and Education Experience
Convergence Days: An Initiative for Interprofessional Education
Experience Status
Approved
Approval Date Range
5/5/2025 - 5/5/2026
Criteria for Registering the IPE Experience
- Involvement of two or more professions.
- Significant interactivity between participants.
- Opportunities to learn about, from, and with one another.
- Teaching and/or learning about interprofessional practice and education is intentionally integrated into the activity. Interprofessional practice and education constructs are targeted with IPE learning objectives are also discussed, trained, reviewed, and/or assessed as part of the learning activity.
Type of IPE Experience
- Case-based and/or problem-based learning
- Team-building event
- Workshop, interactive demo, or small group activity
IPEC Core Competencies Targeted by this IPE Experience
- Roles and Responsibilities: Use the knowledge of one’s own role and team members’ expertise to address individual and population health outcomes.
- Communication: Communicate in a responsive, responsible, respectful, and compassionate manner with team members.
- Teams and Teamwork: Apply values and principles of the science of teamwork to adapt one's own role in a variety of team settings.
Quintuple Aim Strategic Goals Discussed in this IPE Experience
- Advancing access to care
- Enhancing the experience of care
- Improving patient and/or population health outcomes
Detailed Description and Purpose of the IPE Experience
Convergence Day is an initiative to enhance the quality of our trainees’ educational experience by providing activities aimed at interprofessional development. Convergence not only enhances students’ learning by improving their knowledge and understanding of health issues and common diseases, but also increases their ability to communicate this knowledge to peers, professionals, patients, and the public. Convergence Day activities are aimed at bridging educational silos through interprofessional learning communities, resulting in greater communication among trainees in various health disciplines. Convergence Day is a multi-institutional IPE day, which brings together medical students from the UT Southwestern Medical School and allied health students from UT Southwestern School of Health Professions, nursing students from both Texas Woman’s University College of Nursing and UT Arlington College of Nursing and Health Innovation, and pharmacy students from Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center School of Pharmacy. Interprofessional teams of students working in small mixed groups learn about, from, and with each other. Exercises introduce roles and responsibilities, communication practices, and elements of TeamSTEPPS®. An annual theme provides focus and content.
Learning Objectives - At the end of this session, students will be able to:
1. Recognize roles, responsibilities and professional training for disciplines engaged in health care.
2. Work to solve a problem in a team whose members have a variety of behavioral styles.
3. Identify a communication strategy for a pain patient/client with your DISC style.
1.5 hours: Interprofessional Culture of Safety(Small Groups)
Part I: Roles and Responsibilities - Introduction to medical, health professions, nursing, pharmacy and
other relevant health professional training programs (30 min)
Part II: TeamSTEPPS® Introduction: Problem solving in an interprofessional team (45 min)
Part III: Contributions of behavioral styles to patient/client interactions (15 min)
1.5 hours: Interprofessional Panel Discussion (Large Group)
800+ interprofessional students, including 50+ first year Dallas pharmacy students (2020 is virtual and includes all 120+ first year TTUHSC pharmacy students)
Level of IPE Integration
- 1. Foundations Level: Consists of introductory learning activities that provide learners with the opportunity to interact and learn from professionals and peers from disciplines beyond their own. The desired outcome for activities offered at this level is that learners will gain a deeper understanding of their profession while gaining an appreciation for the perspective and roles of other professions.
Attendance or Participation in the IPE Experience
- Certificate credit
- Program and/or school requirement
Frequency of the IPE Experience
- 01. Annually
- Annually. Convergence Day Typically Occurs in the Fall Semester.
Duration and/or Timeline of the IPE Experience
Campus and/or Location of the IPE Experience
- Abilene
- Amarillo
- Dallas
- Distance Education
Average Number of Learners Participating in the IPE Experience
Target Audiences
Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences Audiences
School of Health Professions Audiences
School of Medicine Audiences
School of Nursing Audiences
School of Pharmacy Audiences
School of Population and Public Health Audiences
Other
Health professions students including PT, OT, RT, PA, SLP, AUD, RD, RN, MS1-2 students
IPEC Core Competencies for the Experience
IPEC Core Competency: Values and Ethics
- VE07. Practice trust, empathy, respect, and compassion with persons, caregivers, health professionals, and populations.
IPEC Core Competency: Roles and Responsibilities
- RR03. Incorporate complementary expertise to meet health needs including the determinants of health.
- RR01. Include the full scope of knowledge, skills, and attitudes of team members to provide care that is person-centered, safe, cost-effective, timely, efficient, effective, and equitable.
- RR04. Differentiate each team member’s role, scope of practice, and responsibility in promoting health outcomes.
IPEC Core Competency: Communication
- C02. Use communication tools, techniques, and technologies to enhance team function, well-being, and health outcomes.
- C05. Practice active listening that encourages ideas and opinions of other team members.
- C01. Communicate one’s roles and responsibilities clearly.
IPEC Core Competency: Teams and Teamwork
- TT01. Describe evidence-informed processes of team development and team practices.
- TT03. Practice team reasoning, problem-solving, and decision-making.
- TT04. Use shared leadership practices to support team effectiveness.
- TT06. Reflect on self and team performance to inform and improve team effectiveness.
- TT02. Appreciate team members’ diverse experiences, expertise, cultures, positions, power, and roles towards improving team function.
Type of Learner Assessment Administered
- Attitudinal and/or perceptions survey
- Summative assessment
Formal Assessment Protocol used, if Applicable
Type of Program Evaluation Administered
- Activity feedback/evaluation – from faculty, facilitators, and/or preceptors
- Activity feedback/evaluation – from learners
- Facilitated debrief with planning committee
- Satisfaction survey results
- Planning committee feedback/evaluation
Provide Details on the Potential Sustainability of the IPE Experience
- Dedicated personnel
- Dedicated resources
- Engaged community partners
- Integrated into a course and/or experiential rotation requirements
- Interprofessional planning committee meets year round to continue and grow this annual event.
Provide Dedicated Funding Sources:
Roles of Faculty/Staff in the IPE Experience:
- Facilitators
- Leadership team members
- Mentors
- Planning committee members
- 1 TTUHSC School of Pharmacy faculty member on planning committee
5-10 TTUHSC School of Pharmacy faculty or resident facilitators
1 TTUHSC School of Pharmacy on Expert Panel ocassionally
Additional Information About the IPE Experience, if Necessary
IPE Experience Organizer
- School of Pharmacy
- UT Southwestern
Contact Person(s) and Contact Information for the IPE Experience
Ashley Higbea, PharmD, BCPS
ashley.higbea@ttuhsc.edu