Paths to Partnership: University and Community as Learners in Interprofessional Education

The movement towards collaboration among human services professionals begs an important questions: how do we prepare professionals for such work? A growing number of universities are now trying to develop answers, and their answers increasingly emphasize interprofessional education, that is, programs that join the efforts of departments and training courses which have traditionally been separate. Furthermore, these programs tend to be based in community settings, and actively involved community members (practitioners, non-professional residents) as partners in the training process. In constructing such joint programs (or revising current programs within each profession to make them more interprofessional and community-based), educators and program designers are encountering a fascinating set of challenges as they construct interdisciplinary curricula, create learning experiences that necessitate real collaboration, and develop relationships with communities. Paths to Partnership explores the nature of these challenges and how they can be approached. The authors—scholars and educators in five professional domains (education, nursing, social work, public health, and public policy and management)—joined forces in a five-year developmental effort at the University of Washington (UW) to create sustainable partnerships between university and community which will help newly entering professionals in the human services collaborate effectively with each other and with community members. One of the most advanced experiments of its kind in the country, the UW program provides a focal point for discussion of the various facets of interprofessional education. The book describes and analyzes this program, offers examples of several approaches to these issues, and examines the problems encountered in establishing successful interprofessional programs, in light of recent writing about interprofessional education and experiments now underway on dozens of other campuses across the country.

Table of Contents:
Chapter 1 Prologue: New Aspirations for Practice and Professional Preparation Chapter 2 Preparing Professionals to Work with Complex Human Needs Chapter 3 Identifying What Collaborative Professionals Need to Know Chapter 4 The Design of an Interprofessional, Community-Responsive Curriculum Chapter 5 The Curriculum in Action on Campus and in the Community Chapter 6 What Students Learn about Collaboration, Communities, and Interprofessional Work Chapter 7 Building Collaborative Programs in Universities Chapter 8 Building Relationships between University and Community Chapter 9 Lessons Learned and Enduring Challenges Chapter 10 Epilogue: Long-Term Impacts and Institutionalization of Interprofessional Education Chapter 11 Appendix: Learning about Interprofessional Education through Evaluation Chapter 12 Notes Chapter 13 References Chapter 14 Index

About the Author :
Michael S. Knapp is professor of education at the University of Washington.

Review :
It is a complex book which repays rereading, a reflection of the subject matter, which is difficult to summarise and in which notions of success are difficult to pin down. This collection explores the challenges that universities and communities face when collaborating in educating future human services professionals. Chapters focus on what collaborative professionals need to know, curriculum design and implementation, and student skills and outcomes.... Paths to Partnership provides one map through the little-charted territory of interprofessional education. The experience of the University of Washington's TIC (Training for Interprofessional Collaboration) program documented by Knapp and his colleagues provides important lessons for those interested in establishing or sustaining interprofessional education in higher education. The book makes a significant contribution to our knowledge about interprofessional education grounded in community/university partnerships. This collection explores the challenges that universities and communities face when collaborating in educating future human services professionals. Chapters focus on what collaborative professionals need to know, curriculum design and implementation, and student skills and outcomes.