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What is an IPE placement?

On this website, ‘IPE placement’ is an umbrella term used to describe any type of IPE incorporated into a student placement, whether that be added, embedded, or dedicated IPE.  Barr & Brewer (2012) explore these three terms in more detail below. IPE continuum from added, to embedded and dedicated

Type of placement/activity Explanation Examples
Added During traditional placements within an organisation a range of IPE experiences could be ‘added’ to the learning experience.
  • Education sessions on a topic relevant to two or more professions (e.g. ‘brown bag lunch’ seminar, debate or an interprofessional grand round)
  • Interprofessional journal club 
  • Scenario planning sessions focused on a specific client in the form of case-based or problem-based learning
  • Run a Health Care Team Challenge.
Embedded During traditional placements within an organisation, IPE experiences are intentionally embedded as part of the placement program to help students understand their role in patient care within the specific work context.
  • Run simulated learning such as having students simulate an interprofessional case conference/multidisciplinary team meeting or discharge planning meeting.
  • Assign students into interprofessional pairs or triads to conduct a joint assessment and/or intervention with the patient who would benefit from care from two or more professionals.
  • Students shadow or interview a student or clinician from another profession.
Dedicated Students undertake a dedicated placement where they work for much of the time as an interprofessional team. This is similar to the interprofessional training wards that can be found in other parts of the world. This also allows for organisations to explore opportunities to create new services or fill service gaps by having students deliver services under the supervision of qualified health professionals.
  • Team based interprofessional practice placement (TIPP))
  • Interprofessional training ward

Adapted from: Barr, H., & Brewer, M. (2012). Interprofessional practice-based education. In J. Higgs, R. Barnett, S. Billett, M. Hutchings & F. Trede. (Eds.). Practice-based education: Perspectives, and strategies. (p. 199-212). Sense Publishers. And Oosterom, N., Floren, L. C., Ten Cate, O., & Westerveld, H. E. (2019). A review of interprofessional training wards: enhancing student learning and patient outcomes. Medical Teacher, 41(5), 547-554.

 

Benefits of IPE placements

While general benefits of clinical education apply, there are some unique advantages offered by interprofessional education placement.  Some of these include:

Student benefits:

  • Increased insight into their own and other professions’ roles, and ability to communicate this to other team members
  • Increased confidence sharing their expertise in a team
  • Improved collaboration and teamwork in their subsequent practice
  • Improved decision making as a result of the information sharing that occurred between professionals
  • Improved understanding of factors and processes that lead to interprofessional practice

Service user benefits:

  • Improved assessments and interventions because of shared information between students
  • Enhanced client centred care through increased collaboration

System benefits of collaborative practice:

  • Reduced professional stereotypes and increased knowledge of scope of practice leading to better referrals and use of other professions expertise
  • Improved access to health services
  • Improved patient care (satisfaction) and outcomes (reduced length of stay, reduced complications, reduced readmissions, reduced mortality and clinical error) through collaborative care
  • Reduced the burden on systems through improved service use, appropriate use of specialist clinical resources

The video below ‘Interprofessional learning at The Murri School’ (03:18) showcases an interprofessional clinic run by occupational therapy and speech pathology students and illustrates benefits experienced by students, supervisors, and clients.

Clinical educator and student perspectives of interprofessional clinical education placements within the Institute for Urban Indigenous Health are described in this video(02:00):

References:

References remain valid until superseded by later research. The resources referenced here are regularly reviewed and are considered current and relevant to the topics presented:

  • Brewer, M. L., & Barr, H. (2016). Interprofessional education and practice guide no. 8: Team-based interprofessional practice placements. Journal of Interprofessional Care, 30(6), 747-753.
  • Barr, H., & Brewer, M. (2012). Interprofessional practice-based education. In J. Higgs, R. Barnett, S. Billett, M. Hutchings & F. Trede. (Eds.). Practice-based education: Perspectives, and strategies. (p. 199-212). Sense Publishers.
  • Oosterom, N., Floren, L. C., Ten Cate, O., & Westerveld, H. E. (2019). A review of interprofessional training wards: enhancing student learning and patient outcomes. Medical Teacher, 41(5), 547-554.
  • Wei, H., Horns, P., Sears, S. F., Huang, K., Smith, C. M., & Wei, T. L. (2022). A systematic meta-review of systematic reviews about interprofessional collaboration: facilitators, barriers, and outcomes. Journal of Interprofessional Care, 36(5), 735-749.
  • World Health Organisation (2010) Framework for action on interprofessional education and collaborative practice.  Retrieved from:  https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/framework-for-action-on-interprofessional-education-collaborative-practice
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