Interprofessional Faculty Development: Looking Back, Moving Forward

The need to incorporate interprofessional education (IPE) in healthcare professions training is well known, dating as far back as the 1972InstituteofMedicinereport. Since its inception in 2007, the Jefferson Health Mentors Program (HMP) incorporates students from six different professions in a longitudinal program at Thomas Jefferson University (TJU). A core group of faculty have been responsible for the development, implementation and maintenance of this large interprofessional program. The HMP faculty has increasingly recognized the need for new strategies to recruit additional faculty, to support faculty development, and to sustain faculty participation in this program. In this session, we will describe the faculty development program used at TJU that provides faculty with the skills needed to facilitate interprofessional small group sessions, to provide formative feedback to students from multiple professions, and to lead discussions within their own courses that incorporate aspects of interprofessionalism. Specific faculty development tools will be described, including: 1) online faculty guides; 2) instructional workshops; 3) an online question and answer tool; and 4) faculty mentorship. Preliminary anecdotal findings suggest that faculty are receptive to these support tools and workshops. Faculty find it helpful to have the ability to preview material, discuss content and teaching methods with seasoned facilitators, and attend or listen to workshops which provide an outline for facilitating each IPE session. Plans to formally evaluate this faculty development program will also be shared. Motivating faculty to participate in IPE programs is imperative to sustaining innovations in IPE. Providing a multipronged approach to faculty development can assist health professions faculty in teaching IPE competencies and will ultimately increase faculty retention and support for IPE. Learning Objectives: The participant will be able to: Identify a model for interprofessional faculty development. List 3 strategies to sustain faculty participation in an interprofessional program. Compare and contrast methods for evaluation of a faculty development program