The ASPIRE Model: Grounding the IPEC core competencies for interprofessional collaborative practice within a foundational framework

ABSTRACT

Interprofessional education (IPE) and interprofessional collaborative practice (ICP) are essential to achieving high-quality patient care. Leading IPE/ICP requires training in new knowledge and skills that most health professions faculty and clinicians lack. To guide this training, the Interprofessional Education Collaborative (IPEC) defined interprofessional collaboration through four core competencies: (a) Values/Ethics for Interprofessional Practice, (b) Roles/Responsibilities, (c) Interprofessional Communication, and (d) Teams and Teamwork. For IPE/ICP training to be effective, it is necessary to identify new educational models that provide an operational framework for these competencies. The University of Virginia (UVA) ASPIRE Model is a new paradigm for developing IPE/ICP educational experiences. It was created by mapping the IPEC competencies to three overlapping curricular content areas: (a) Practical Tools, (b) Leadership, and (c) Relational Factors. This model shows the relationship among the four IPEC core competencies and corresponding sub-competency statements and their inclusion in one or more of these three curricular content areas. The UVA ASPIRE Model was empirically tested as an approach to provide IPE/ICP training through “real-world” application for clinicians and faculty participating in an intensive team development program. Positive evaluations and improved capabilities of learners to apply their new knowledge and skills to solving real-world clinical challenges revealed that the UVA ASPIRE Model is an effective approach to embed the IPEC competencies in the design of IPE/ICP educational activities.

KEYWORDS:

• Interprofessional collaboration
• interprofessional education
• collaborative competence

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Valentina Brashers

Valentina Brashers is the founder of the University of Virginia Center for Academic Strategic Partnerships for Interprofessional Research and Education (UVA Center for ASPIRE). She is known nationally for her service and scholarship in the area of interprofessional education and collaborative care. Dr. Brashers was a full-time faculty member of the UVA Schools of Nursing and Medicine for over 25 years. Since her retirement in 2017, she continues to serve as a consultant, editor, expert panel member, presenter, and workshop leader in many educational, clinical, and policy settings.

Julie Haizlip

Julie Haizlip is Co-Director of the UVA Center for ASPIRE. As Clinical Professor at the University of Virginia (UVA) School Nursing and Associate Professor of Pediatric Critical Care in the School of Medicine, she is actively involved in clinical, teaching and research activities that promote collaborative education and practice for healthcare teams. Dr. Haizlip's professional goal is to integrate her interests in positive psychology and interprofessional healthcare to promote high functioning health care teams for the benefit of both practitioners and patients.

John A. Owen

John A. Owen is an Assistant Professor at the University of Virginia (UVA) School of Nursing and is Associate Director of the UVA Center for ASPIRE. He provides oversight of the national Train-the Trainer Interprofessional Team Development Program and provides consultation to potential and existing IPE project teams in the development and implementation of IPE research, grants, and publications. Dr. Owen continues to publish and present on a wide range of subjects pertaining to Interprofessional Education and Practice.