Interprofessional education (IPE) practices at universities across the United States with an established IPE infrastructure in place

Abstract Background Accreditation standards for health professions schools across the United States mandate or strongly encourage IPE. Competencies exist to guide curriculum development; however, there is not a clear understanding of the current IPE curricular landscape. Purpose To characterize the landscape of IPE at leading institutions with an established IPE infrastructure. Methods A survey was administered to U.S. universities with an established IPE infrastructure with questions pertaining to disciplines participating, types of activities, and quantities of activities during professional school. IPE activities were categorized as introductory, immersion and competence. Results Most common IPE activities were required coursework, student organization activities, and service learning activities. Average student hours in IPE activities were 15 ± 16 for exposure activities; 12 ± 9 for immersion activities; and 21 ± 45 for competence activities. Conclusions Information obtained documents existing IPE programs and can guide those under development. More practice-based IPE experiences and a better IPE tracking system for accreditors are needed.