(176) Let’s COEPA Collaborate! Best Practices for Interprofessional Education Programs, Curricula, and Assessment

Primary Author(s)

Jackie Zeeman, Pharm.D. (she/her/hers)

Associate Professor and Associate Director, Office of Organizational Effectiveness and Assessment
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States

Co-Author(s)

Deepti Vyas, Pharm.D.

Professor and Director Interprofessional Education
University of the Pacific, Thomas J. Long School of Pharmacy
Stockton, California, United States
Kelly R. Ragucci, PharmD

Senior Vice President/Chief Academic Officer
American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy, United States

Objective : To review best practices for high-quality interprofessional education (IPE) with consideration given to the recently released 2022 Curriculum Outcomes and Entrustable Professional Activities (COEPA), 2023 Interprofessional Education Collaborative (IPEC) Competencies, and draft 2025 Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) Standards.

Methods: A review of best practices in the IPE literature was conducted to identify important considerations for building and sustaining high-quality interprofessional education programs. The 2022 COEPA outlines several important educational outcomes for pharmacy education, including “interprofessional collaboration” as a key element necessary for contemporary pharmacy practice. The draft 2025 ACPE Standards further emphasize the importance of interprofessional education, outlining expectations for students to participate in both didactic and experiential IPE activities guided by the IPEC competencies. The 2023 IPEC Competency Framework outlines key domains and sub-domains essential for developing collaborative practice-ready graduates across all health professions.

Results: Seven factors were identified as important considerations for schools and colleges of pharmacy as they develop their IPE program: (1) institutional readiness, (2) institutional culture, (3) infrastructure, (4), financial considerations, (5) faculty development, (6) curricular programming, and (7) outcomes assessment. Evidence supports these factors as best practices for quality interprofessional education and articulates how these can be used to mitigate challenges and/or barriers experienced in IPE programs.

Conclusions: Equipping learners with the knowledge, skills, and attitudes to work effectively as part of an interprofessional team is key to developing a collaborative practice-ready pharmacy workforce. In alignment with the 2023 IPEC Competencies, 2022 COEPA, and 2025 ACPE Standards, colleges and schools of pharmacy should leverage best practices that lead to successful, high-quality IPE.