Interprofessional Education (IPE)

“Interprofessional education is a necessary step in preparing a collaborative practice-ready health workforce that is better prepared to respond to local health needs” (WHO, 2010).

“IPE that is integrated into curricula and spans its entire length, from early didactic IPE experiences to advanced clinical IPE experiences, which collectively result in meaningful outcomes” (Zorek et al., 2022).

Fall IPE Mega-Simulations Event

The Annual Fall IPE Mega-Simulations Event is a captivating Halloween-themed event designed to immerse students in interprofessional collaboration. Participants are placed in interprofessional teams to navigate through diverse healthcare scenarios. Each scenario provides a new opportunity to practice problem-solving, communication, and emergency response skills. Following each scenario, expert faculty and community partners facilitate insightful debriefs, fostering deep learning and reflection. Due to high demand and limited space, enrollment is competitive. Registration opens in September each year.

Spring IPE Mega-Simulations Event

The Annual Spring IPE Mega-Simulations Event is another opportunity for an engaging and fun-filled themed interprofessional simulations experience. Previous themes have been “Swing into Spring Break Safely” (spring break themed) and “Around the World in Eighty Minutes” (travel-themed). Participants are placed in interprofessional teams to navigate through diverse healthcare scenarios. Each scenario presents a fresh opportunity to refine problem-solving, communication, and emergency response skills. Following each scenario, expert faculty and community partners facilitate insightful debriefs, fostering deep learning and reflection. Due to high demand and limited space, enrollment is competitive. Registration opens in January each year.

The Center for Workforce Development (CWD) is excited to present the IPE Strategic Initiatives Faculty Resource Hub in Canvas as an online repository of Interprofessional Education (IPE) teaching resources for instructors to access and use in their courses. The Hub provides access to case studies, activities for in-person or virtual learning, book studies, and presentations that address the IPE Core Competencies of Values and Ethics, Roles and Responsibilities, Interprofessional Communication, and Teams and Teamwork. 

In addition to teaching resources, the Hub provides basic information about IPE and its importance, an outlet to share your own interprofessional teaching resources with other CHHS faculty, and a place to connect with colleagues across CHHS who are interested in co-teaching an interprofessional lesson or unit. UNCW affiliates with a UNCW email address can self-enroll in the Canvas course repository for instant access.

Click here to self-enroll

If you do not have a UNCW email address and would like to access the IPE Faculty Resource Hub, please contact us at chhs-cwd@uncw.edu.

In 2023, the University of North Carolina Wilmington’s (UNCW), College of Health and Human Services’ Community Engagement Team entered a partnership with UNC Chapel Hill to bring the Rural Interprofessional Longitudinal Scholars Program (RIPLS) to UNCW students pursuing careers as health and human services practitioners.

Established by UNC Chapel Hill in 2019, and generously supported by the William R. Kenan, Jr. Charitable Trust, RIPLS offers students a unique opportunity to learn, collaborate, and promote health in rural settings, while providing tuition assistance to support their engagement in community-based service activities. RIPLS takes a multi-faceted approach to meet the growing workforce needs in North Carolina's rural areas. By fostering interprofessional collaboration, the program equips students with the skills and experiences necessary to implement population-based interventions and improve healthcare delivery in underserved communities.