A longitudinal, multi-year interprofessional education model: Design, implementation, and impact on preparing collaborative health professionals

Interprofessional education is essential for improving health outcomes and has been widely integrated into health professions’ education across the United States. The Interprofessional Education Collaborative established core competencies that provide a foundation for curriculum development. We have a sustained, innovative, longitudinal curriculum that engages over 600 health professional students annually. Prelicensure graduates are prepared to function in an interprofessional workforce, fostering collaboration to enhance patient care and outcomes. At the University of Colorado Anschutz, the curriculum spans over 2-4 years, consisting of five key components: Interprofessional Orientation, Interprofessional Collaborative Practice Course, Interprofessional Healthcare Ethics Course, Interprofessional Clinical Transformations, and Interprofessional Clinical Integrations. This curricular resource reports on the first three of these components and examines the curriculum's unique design, implementation, and impact, with a focus on student experiences and evaluations.