Interprofessional Education and Practice: A Primer for Training Future Clinicians

Speech-language pathologists and audiologists often share roles and responsibilities with other professionals as they contribute to the health and wellness of clients/patients in educational and medical settings. Emerging changes in the educational and health care landscapes in the United States are increasing the demand for interprofessional collaboration to improve treatment outcomes. Programs in Communication Sciences and Disorders need to be responsive to health care and educational reforms and expose students to collaborative learning opportunities with those outside their professions. This introductory-level article reviews terminology and concepts related to two approaches to training tomorrow's clinicians today, Interprofessional Education (IPE) and Interprofessional Collaborative Practice (IPP). The article also discusses the challenges and opportunities related to IPE and IPP, and makes a call to action for both approaches to address educational and health care changes in the United States.