The road to collaboration: Developing an interprofessional competency framework

Abstract

In the absence of an interprofessional competency framework in Canada, the College of Health Disciplines (CHD) at the University of British Columbia developed a universally applicable framework. This article discusses the development of the “BC Competency Framework for Interprofessional Collaboration”. Building on a Health Canada funded initiative through the Interprofessional Network of British Columbia (In-BC), the CHD compared and contrasted existing competency frameworks and consulted curriculum and IP experts throughout British Columbia. The resulting framework is designed to inform curriculum development for health and human service professionals throughout the continuum of learning, starting with pre-licensure education and extending into continuing professional development. The framework will serve as a foundation for future curriculum reform by health and human service educators, practitioners and decision-makers throughout BC and will contribute to the competency literature in Canada.

Keywords:

• Interprofessional education
• competencies
• competency framework
• curriculum development

Acknowledgements

This project has been supported by Health Canada's Interprofessional Education for Patient-Centred Practice Strategy. The BC Competency Framework for Collaborative Practice can be found at www.chd.ubc.ca/competency

Declaration of interest: The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper.