A taskforce was put together in 2014 to explore what opportunities were available on our campus. In the 2015-2016 academic year, Marilyn Frenn (College of Nursing) and MaryJo Wiemiller (College of Health Sciences) received the Way Klingler Teaching Enhancement Award to develop IPE on campus. This award, along with the dedication from these two motivated faculty members, led to the integration of several interprofessional learning experiences for students at ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ (MU) and the Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW). In early 2017, a shared IPE Coordinator position between MU and MCW was brought to the Center for Teaching and Learning to assist with the future development, implementation, and sustainability of interprofessional initiatives.
After surveying successful programs across the country and attending international conferences to discover best practice, Marquette decided that the creation of a curricular approach to IPE was essential in preparing students for their future careers in healthcare and meeting accreditation standard requirements. In Fall 2017, the first large collaborative workshop was offered. 99 students from five academic programs learned about an evidence-based set of teamwork tools known as TeamSTEPPS. While many lessons were learned through the delivery of the workshop, it was clear we had found a model for interprofessional training at Marquette.
We have now developed a series of four workshops that provide interprofessional education with over 1,500 students from nine multiple academic programs. As of the fall of 2019, there is now a dedicated IPE day in both the fall and spring semesters. Students are assigned to interprofessional teams that they learn and grow with over four semesters of IPE programming. We are hopeful the students will build meaningful connections with their future healthcare colleagues and see this carry into their professional careers.
