The education of health professionals needs to respond to new health challenges, health science developments and health needs of society to strengthen the health system. Frenk et al. [1] reported the findings of the Lancet's Global Independent Commission into the Education of Health Professionals for the 21st century, and stated that the education of health professionals has not kept pace with the major challenges of providing health security to all. Some of the problems mentioned by the Commission include: poor teamwork; narrow technical focus without broader contextual understanding; mismatch of competencies with regard to patient and population needs; episodic encounters rather than continuous care; and predominant hospital orientation at the expense of primary care. The Commission believes that academic institutions are liable for these problems, as curricula are fragmented, outdated and static. [1] The training of healthcare professionals is indeed a challenge and needs to ensure that entry-level professionals are equipped with the necessary skills and competencies to provide the highest standard of care for their clients. In South Africa (SA), the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA) promotes the health of all South Africans 'by determining standards of professional education and training and setting and maintaining the highest standards of professional and ethical behaviour for its registered healthcare professionals' . [2] This is achieved by establishing and monitoring the standards of professional education and training of the different healthcare professionals and setting standards for professional and ethical conduct of qualified professionals registered with the HPCSA. The different professional bodies each have guidelines that determine the content of the different courses, but the core ethical values and standards for good practice are generic and apply to all healthcare professionals. The core ethical values and standards for good practice are respect for persons, beneficence, non-maleficence, human rights, autonomy, integrity, truthfulness, confidentiality, compassion, tolerance and justice. [3] Training for the healthcare professions has to include a comprehensive approach that addresses the needs of all South Africans, including skills to provide health promotion, health prevention, and curative and rehabilitation services. Healthcare professionals also need to be trained in social and technical skills to work together as a team. [4] Since 1993, the healthcare system in SA has been expanded, transformed and revitalised, and parallel to this there have been major growth and developments in health science, professional education and training. [5] Concurrently, an increased understanding of the value and need to include inter-professional education (IPE) in the training of healthcare students has developed. [1,6] IPE is defined as: 'When two or more professions learn with, from and about each other to improve collaboration and the quality of care' . [7] IPE can be utilised to prepare...