Interprofessional Education: Opportunities for Librarian Involvement

Purpose:This poster describes two librarians’ participation in the UNT Health Science Center’s (UNTHSC) Interprofessional Education/Practice (IPE/P) curriculum during the Spring 2016 semester. Setting/Participants/Resources: The Interprofessional Education and Practice department develops and integrates IPE/P training into the curriculum for all clinical programs on campus. Students from UNTHSC and other schools in the area participate in IPE/P collaborative sessions through multiple years of their education and training. Brief Description: Two Research and Education Librarians participated in the Spring 2016 Initial and Intermediate IPE/P program. The librarians were trained along with faculty members and health care providers on principles of IPE/P facilitation and the curriculum, culminating in facilitating student group sessions during designated “IPE/P Days.” This poster describes the mission of the UNTHSC’s IPE/P program, the librarian’s involvement in facilitator training, IPE/P student sessions, challenges encountered and lessons learned. Results/Outcome: The library’s involvement in campus IPE/P curriculum led to a greater understanding among library staff of the tenants of interprofessionaleducation and generated new ideas for the role information professionals can play in IPE/P curriculum and practice. Facilitating sessions comprised of students and clinicians from a variety of campus departments and organizations in the surrounding area also provided new outreach and marketing opportunities for library services. Discussion/Conclusion: Interprofessional education is an emerging area of health science curriculum in which librarians can contribute to research and education at their organization.