From the Nexus vision to the NexusIPE™ learning model

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ABSTRACT

The Nexus vision of simultaneously transforming health professions education and healthcare delivery to achieve Triple (now Quadruple) Aim outcomes was first articulated in the 2012 proposal and funding of the National Center for Interprofessional Practice and Education (National Center). Over the past decade, the National Center has worked with over 70 sites implementing large scale and practice-based interprofessional practice and education (IPE) programs. Because what is needed to implement the Nexus to achieve Quadruple Aim outcomes was not well understood in 2012, the National Center took a social innovations and developmental evaluation approach. This iterative method led to the development of the National Center NexusIPE™ Learning Model that adapts the 3-P high-level stages (Presage, Process, and Product), proposed as a framework for IPE by Barr and colleagues. National Center collaborators’ lessons learned about the Nexus vision are highlighted in this issue and provide real-world examples of elements of the NexusIPE^TM Learning Model. Reflecting on ten years of experience, the National Center leaders recognize the need for Nexus transformation and the relevance of the NexusIPE^TM Learning Model today as education and health systems grapple with mounting workforce challenges. The model provides opportunities to address growing workforce shortages, provide equitable care that leads to health, and support the well-being of practice teams in the face of challenges such as the COVID-19 pandemic

KEYWORDS:

• Collaborative practice
• interprofessional education
• interprofessional practice and education
• workplace learning

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

1. The use of the term “Nexus” refers to the vision for aligning practice and education. In 2020, the University of Minnesota trademarked the term, “NexusIPE,” to be used for programs and services offered by the National Center.

2. The term “people” collectively refers to patients/individuals, families, communities, and populations. The local context determines which term may be more appropriate.

Additional information

Funding

The National Center for Interprofessional Practice and Education has received funding from the Josiah Macy Jr Foundation, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, and the John A. Hartford Foundation, the University of Minnesota, and was supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) under HRSA Cooperative Agreement [UE5HP25067]. The content and conclusions are those of the authors and should not be construed as the official position or policy of, nor should any endorsements be inferred by HRSA, HHS or the U.S. Government or private foundations. 

Notes on contributors

Barbara F. Brandt

Barbara F. Brandt is the founding director of the National Center for Interprofessional Practice and Education and served as the Associate Vice President for Education at the University of Minnesota Academic Health Center, overseeing the implementation of interprofessional practice and education programs from 2000 to 2017. She is a professor of pharmaceutical science and health systems in the University of Minnesota College of Pharmacy. She has served on the strategic advisory board of the Journal of Interprofessional Care and on the editorial board of the Journal of Continuing Education in the Health Professions.

Carla Dieter

Carla Dieter is the Coordinator of NexusIPE™ Programs at the National Center for Interprofessional Practice and Education and previously the Accelerating Initiative Project Coordinator with the National Center. Dieter has been in nursing for 45+ years with experience ranging from clinical practice as an RN as well as a certified Family Nurse Practitioner. Carla has served in numerous leadership positions including Coordinator of the Doctor of Nurse Practitioner Family Nurse Practitioner program at South Dakota State University and as Chair of Nursing at The University of South Dakota. Dieter ls a founding member and past chair for the South Dakota Nexus, also referred to as the South Dakota Interprofessional Practice & Education Collaborative (SD-IPEC). She is Professor Emeritus, Department of Nursing at The University of South Dakota.

Christine Arenson

Christine Arenson is the director of the National Center for Interprofessional Practice and Education and Professor in the Department of Family Medicine and Community Health at the University of Minnesota School of Medicine. Prior to joining the National Center, she served in a variety of academic and practice leadership roles at Thomas Jefferson University, including founding director of the Division of Geriatric Medicine and Palliative Care, founding co-director of the Jefferson Center for Interprofessional Practice and Education, and Chair of the Department of Family and Community Medicine. She has been engaged in academic-community partnerships and practice transformation at local and health system levels for over two decades.