Interprofessional Education: Opportunities and Challenges for Psychology

Abstract

This manuscript is an outgrowth of an invited panel presentation at the national Association for Psychologists in Academic Health Centers Conference in 2017 on Interprofessional Education (IPE). IPE is a structured and transformative educational strategy designed to provide active learning experiences where trainees from diverse healthcare professions gain shared content knowledge plus collaboration skills as they learn about, from, and with each other. Collaboration skills include understanding professional role distinctions and overlap, effective team-based communication, shared values/ethics and respect for each other's expertise, and teamwork dynamics. It is increasingly important to expand training beyond the intraprofessional activities in which psychology trainees engage to prepare them to participate in interprofessional collaborative care. As healthcare systems move to team-based collaborative practice and value-based reimbursement models, the profession of psychology needs leaders at every academic health center to facilitate the design and/or implementation of IPE activities. The panel of psychologists presented roles that psychologists play in IPE institutional program design and implementation, graduate training programs, and the perspectives of an early career psychologist and psychology trainee. Opportunities and challenges are highlighted, culminating in a call to action. Psychologists must embrace their identity as health professionals and engage their learners in IPE so that the emerging cognitive schemata of healthcare that is developed includes the profession of psychology. Otherwise, healthcare teams and health professionals will not understand the value, roles, or potential contributions of psychologists in enhancing patient care outcomes, ultimately jeopardizing psychologists' referrals, involvement in healthcare delivery, and career opportunities.

School psychologists’ interprofessional collaboration with medical providers: An initial examination of training, preparedness, and current practices

“…However, considering the high number of youth in schools with chronic health conditions, as well as the recognized need and associated benefits of IPC with medical providers in providing optimal care for such youth, it appears imperative that all school psychologists be equipped to some degree with the needed skills to engage in IPC with medical providers. While concerns with the integration of such training within already filled specialist school psychology programs might exist, such programs could look to evidence of success in related mental health fields (e.g., social work, counseling psychology) for guides to how to successfully integrate interprofessional education (IPE) within brief training programs (Cox, Adams, & Loughran, ; Jones & Phillips, ; Ward, Zagoloff, Rieck, & Robiner, ).…”

Observing inter-professional videos: impact of collaboration between physicians and psychologists on attitude and knowledge acquisition

“…Ward, Zagoloff, Rieck, and Robiner (14) have requested that "Psychologists must embrace their identity as health professionals and engage their learners in IPE [interprofessional education] so that the emerging cognitive schemata of healthcare that is developed includes the profession of psychology" (p. 250). They are concerned that otherwise "healthcare teams and health professionals will not understand the value, roles, or potential contributions of psychologists in enhancing patient care outcomes."…”

Observing Inter-Professional Videos: Impact of Collaboration Between Physicians and Psychologists on Attitude and Knowledge Acquisition

“…Ward et al 15 have requested that “Psychologists must embrace their identity as health professionals and engage their learners in IPE [interprofessional education] so that the emerging cognitive schemata of healthcare that is developed includes the profession of psychology” (p. 250). These authors are concerned that otherwise “healthcare teams and health professionals will not understand the value, roles, or potential contributions of psychologists in enhancing patient care outcomes.” (p. 250).…”