Advanced Learner Perspectives: An IPE Training and Mentoring Model for Senior Learners in Health Professions Programs

Background, including statement of problem, and aims:

The WHO (2010) called for preparing faculty to facilitate IPE. However, faculty feel ill-prepared to facilitate IPE (Ratka et al., 2017). Most health professions students are not trained as IPE facilitators. IPE Programs are challenged to hire faculty ready to facilitate IPE. Hoffman, Harris and Rosenfield (2009) have outlined the importance of mentorship in IPE. DrPH students participated as part of a larger cohort of advanced learners to receive IPE facilitator training. Additionally, DrPH students committed to a second year of training where mentoring was the emphasis. DrPH students will share the mentoring/co-facilitating model of training for the first and second year of advanced learner training. They will share early evaluation data and their perspectives as inaugural participants in this innovative program. This addresses the Summit theme, as preparing future clinicians to also be good IPE facilitators is crucial to filling the gap for IPE-ready faculty, which will help us stay true to our North Star.

Design or methodology:

This poster will include programmatic description and evaluation. Quantitative data from the evaluations and the Interprofessional Education (IPE) Facilitation Scale following the first year of implementation will be reported. Qualitatively, advanced learners will share their personal reflections on their experiences in the initial year of training and early impressions of the second year focused on mentorship development.

Results (data, outcomes and evidence):

Ratings for mentees by mentors were relatively high in the first year of implementation. Self-evaluations by advanced learners were similar to mentor ratings on most scales.

Conclusion:

Facilitator training paired with a mentoring model and co-facilitation can be a viable model for training the next generation of IPE facilitators while learners are still in their health professions program of training.

Reflections/lessons learned/implications:

DrPH students will share their perceptions of the mentoring program from a participant perspective.

Description of how the poster fulfills the priority criteria above, if applicable:

The presenters for this poster are all DrPH students who participate in the advanced learner training program.