Allied Health Groups Join Interprofessional Education Collaborative
Educational groups for Therapy Disciplines Among new IPEC Members
Four groups dedicated to educating professionals for allied health careers have joined a growing collaborative to foster patient-centered, coordinated practice in the healthcare professions, including the American Council of Academic Physical Therapy (ACAPT), the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA), the Association of Schools of Allied Health Professions (ASAHP) and the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE).
The Interprofessional Education Collaborative (IPEC) recently approved a total of nine additional members through a new institutional membership category, expanding its representation of associations of schools of the health professions to 15.
Established in 2009 by six organizations committed to advancing interprofessional learning experiences and promoting team-based care, IPEC now includes the following national associations:
Founding members:
• American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN)
• American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine (AACOM)
• American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP)
• American Dental Education Association (ADEA)
• Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC)
• Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health (ASPPH)
New institutional members:
• American Association of Colleges of Podiatric Medicine (AACPM)
• American Council of Academic Physical Therapy (ACAPT)
• American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA)
• American Psychological Association (APA)
• Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges (AAVMC)
• Association of Schools and Colleges of Optometry (ASCO)
• Association of Schools of Allied Health Professions (ASAHP)
• Council on Social Work Education (CSWE)
• Physician Assistant Education Association (PAEA)
“To actually deliver on the promise of interprofessional education and practice to improve health of individuals and populations as well as reduce health disparities, we have to ensure that this framework is central in the education of all health professionals,” said Harrison C. Spencer, MD, MPH, DTM&H, CPH, IPEC board chair and president and CEO of the Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health. “Changing and making all health professional education more consistent can help set the stage for the health system of the future we want to create together.”
IPEC’s mission is to ensure that new and current health professionals are proficient in the competencies essential for patient-centered, community and population oriented, interprofessional, collaborative practice. Eligible institutional members must be associations that represent and serve academic units at institutions of higher education that provide an educational program leading to the award of one or more academic degrees to students in one or more of the health professions that provide direct care to patients.
The new additions indicate “a significant and growing commitment across the health professions in the United States to make collaborative, patient-centered care a reality,” added Richard W. Valachovic, DMD, MPH, president of IPEC and president and CEO of the American Dental Education Association. “Including such a diverse and comprehensive group of new associations in IPEC’s work brings us that much closer to success.”
Source: Interprofessional Education Collaborative (IPEC).
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