Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2025 Mar 4;35(3):1489-1502.
doi: 10.1007/s40670-025-02337-4. eCollection 2025 Jun.

Work Smarter Not Harder: Mapping Interprofessional Education Collaboration Core Competencies Across Curricula

Hanlie Pitout  1 , Paula Barnard-Ashton  2 , Fasloen Adams  3 , Sanetta H J du Toit  4
Affiliations

Work Smarter Not Harder: Mapping Interprofessional Education Collaboration Core Competencies Across Curricula

Hanlie Pitout et al. Med Sci Educ. .

Abstract

Integrating Interprofessional Education and Collaborative Practice (IPECP) into health professions curricula is recognized as a challenging task due to factors such as timing, curriculum overload, and resource availability. This study aimed to identify opportunities within courses across all health professions that would help students achieve the Interprofessional Education Collaborative (IPEC) Core Competencies. These competencies include (1) Values and Ethics, (2) Roles and Responsibilities, (3) Interprofessional Communication, and (4) Teams and Teamwork. A quantitative, cross-sectional document review was conducted, analyzing curriculum maps and documents from 11 healthcare professions at a South African university. This process involved 22 participants, comprising two representatives from each profession who possessed expertise in the content and teaching methods relevant to their field. They completed a structured survey using the REDCap platform, with guidance from the first author, who was knowledgeable about the IPEC competencies. The results indicated that the curricula of all professions incorporated the IPEC Core Competencies. Notably, the Values and Ethics competencies had the highest representation (mean = 101.2), while Teams and Teamwork were the least represented (mean = 64.6). Thus, the analysis of the curriculum maps provided valuable insights for curriculum planners, allowing them to identify gaps and overlaps. This information serves as a foundation for developing an integrated, longitudinal, evidence-based IPECP curriculum.

Keywords: Curriculum analysis; Curriculum mapping; Health professions education; IPEC core competencies; Undergraduate curriculum.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Competing InterestsThe authors report no competing interests. The authors wrote the article. The research forms part of a PhD study associated with the Occupational Therapy Department at University of the Witwatersrand.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Core competency courses per profession
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
IPEC Core Competency development across years of study
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Oandasan I, Reeves S. Key Elements for Interprofessional Education. Part 1: The Learner, the Educator and the Learning Context. J Interprofessional Care. 2005;19(Suppl 1):21–38. 10.1080/13561820500083550 - PubMed
    1. Boyce RA, Moran MC, Nissen LM, Chenery HJ, Brooks PM. Interprofessional education in health sciences: the University of Queensland health care team challenge. Med J Aust. 2009;190(8):433–6. - PubMed
    1. Gilbert JH, Yan J, Hoffman SJ. A WHO report: Framework for action on interprofessional education and collaborative practice. J Allied Health. 2010;39(Suppl 1):196–7. - PubMed
    1. Filies GC, Frantz J. Towards an interprofessional competency-based model in South Africa: A Delphi study. F1000Research 2022;11. 10.12688/f1000research.74674.1
    1. Lising D, Sinclair L, Rowland P, Baker GR. Translating concepts to practice: Examining the synergy of interprofessional competencies and quality improvement. J Interprofessional Educ Pract. 2021;24:100440.

LinkOut - more resources