Interprofessional Education Preceptor Development Program – A Pilot

In the fall of 2019, faculty, who had completed the IPE Faculty Development Program and who were looking for ways to train clinical preceptors, came to the Department of IPEP to propose that the program be delivered to clinical preceptors. Not only were our faculty hoping for interprofessional preceptor development, the National Center for Interprofessional Education had been calling out for years for the IPE Learning Continuum to expand to clinical training sites. Furthermore, the NCICLE issued a report describing how all efforts in interprofessional education during student training could be swiftly lost once students enter into clinical learning sites, because those sites often fail to distinctly demonstrate or define interprofessional collaborative practice as it is occurring.

UNTHSC is a close partner with John Peter Smith Hospital; it is where many of our students fulfill their clinical rotations. Therefore, due to an already established relationship and proximity the academic team at JPS welcomed the Department of Interprofessional Education and Practice, the Center for Innovative Learning (faculty development), and INCEDO (continuing education) to provide IPE development for leadership and preceptors.

The pilot program launched on Feb 25, 2020 with 27 participants.

Photo: Dr. David Farmer, Director of IPEP, instructs participants to discuss how psychological safety impacts learner performance.

The curriculum for our Interprofessional Preceptor Development Program utilizes blended-learning, where a portion of the content is provided in online modules and is then followed up with in-person, active learning. The curriculum covers the following concepts:

• Skills for precepting interprofessional learners,
• Team member roles and responsibilities,
• Developing Psychological Safety,
• Interprofessional Teamwork and Skills and Attitudes,
• Integrative versus Parallel Practice, and
• Assessment for Collaborative Practice
• Achieve the optimal clinical learning environment.

The program has received IRB approval and the department plans to share the outcomes of the program to further best practices in the field of interprofessional preceptor development.

*Due to the recent COVID-19 pandemic, the IPE Preceptor Development Program Pilot has been postponed until further notice.