Inter professional panelA collaborative faculty development workshop recently at The University of Texas at Austin brought together about 90 representatives from the Dell Medical School, the School of Nursing, the College of Pharmacy and the School of Social Work to address the assessment of student outcomes within the different health professional schools and colleges.

Another key objective was to inspire an ongoing conversation regarding ways programs can support one another, especially through inter-professional education. Inter professional education, or IPE, is gaining popularity in the education of health care professionals across the country. The goal is to develop teamwork models for health practitioners–including physicians, nurses, social workers and pharmacists among others–to provide optimal, safe, and patient-centered care.

“Assessing Student Outcomes in the Health Professions:  An Inter-professional Public Responsibility” was sponsored by the Office of Institutional Accreditation and Program Assessment on Jan. 7 at the School of Social Work. The expert panel and breakout sessions provided opportunities for the participants to discuss students’ progression through the program, and development of their professional identity.

Panelists included Susan Cox, interim senior associate dean for the Dell Medical School; Jane Kretzschmar, assistant dean for master of science in social work programs and Barbara Jones, associate professor, from the School of Social Work; Diane Ginsburg, assistant dean for student affairs and Jennifer Ridings-Myhra, assistant dean for experiential and professional affairs from the College of Pharmacy; Carole Taxis, graduate advisor and Sarah Peters, nursing level coordinator from the School of Nursing; and John Luk, assistant dean for regional medical education, UT Medical Branch.  Linda Dickens, director of institutional accreditation and program assessment, was the moderator.