Graduate medical education programs know the importance of teamwork. Yet under the pressure of service demands and accreditation requirements, interprofessional education (IPE) can slip into the background—treated as a “nice-to-have” rather than a core competency.
But IPE is not optional. The ACGME Common Program Requirements expect residents to communicate effectively with other health professionals and to work effectively as a member or leader of a health care team (4.8.b–4.8.c). When programs overlook this area, they risk not only citations but also missed opportunities to improve patient care, strengthen safety, and build a healthier team culture.
In this article, we’ll explore why interprofessional education in healthcare matters, share practical examples from real GME settings, and offer low-burden strategies for programs to build IPE into everyday training—starting with small, achievable steps.
What is IPE? & Why It Belongs in Everyday GME
Interprofessional Education (IPE) refers to learning that occurs when two or more professions learn with, from, and about each other to improve collaboration and the quality of care.
The evidence is clear: when residents collaborate with nursing, pharmacy, respiratory therapy, social work, case management, and other professionals, outcomes improve across the board.
- Patient safety: Miscommunication across roles is a major driver of adverse events; robust interprofessional habits reduce that risk.
- Efficiency of care: Shared perspectives reduce duplication and speed decision-making, especially at transitions. The CPR emphasizes coordination “across the health care continuum” (4.9.b).
- Resident development: Interprofessional work develops leadership, systems thinking, and adaptability—skills central to practice-readiness.
- Culture: Teams that respect diverse expertise create safer, more supportive learning environments for everyone.
Real-World Examples of Interprofessional Education in Healthcare
Programs often ask how IPE plays out in day-to-day training. Consider these vignettes:
- Delayed Discharge: Orders are in, but physical therapy hasn’t cleared the patient. The delay frustrates the family and blocks a bed in the ED. Lesson: Coordinated discharge planning requires timely interprofessional communication and clear role expectations.
- Medication Reconciliation Gap: During admission reconciliation, a pharmacist catches a duplication that would have caused harm. The resident and attending review what made the error hard to see (auto-populated lists, look-alike names) and create a quick huddle script to involve pharmacy earlier on complex polypharmacy cases.
- Quick Case Rounds (from our downloadable resource): In our Top 10 Low-Burden IPE Ideas for Busy Programs guide, one strategy highlights how to embed IPE directly into rounds:
- Dedicate just 10 minutes for an interprofessional voice—such as pharmacy presenting key medication considerations.
- Key Point: This strengthens care decisions and models collaboration without adding another meeting.
- How to Start: Invite pharmacy to comment on one patient during existing rounds.
- ACGME Link: CPR 4.10, 4.11, 6.18, 4.8.b.
- Reflection Prompt: “How did another discipline’s perspective change our care plan today?”
Practical First Steps for GME Programs Implementing IPE
The good news: embedding IPE does not require a massive overhaul or a new block rotation. Progress often begins with manageable adjustments that gradually shift culture:
- Add a case with an IPE lens to a quarterly journal club.
- Invite a nurse leader, pharmacist, PT/OT, or case manager to deliver a short orientation talk on their role.
- Dedicate one simulation per year to interprofessional teamwork (e.g., a Code Blue with nursing and pharmacy).
- Ask residents to seek and reflect on feedback from non-physician colleagues during rotations.
- Tighten transitions-of-care routines; the Institutional Requirements explicitly expect structured handovers and faculty/resident development around them (3.2.c and 3.2.c.1).
Equally important: don’t skip reflection. Asking learners what they discovered from another profession is where a quick activity turns into lasting growth.
Downloadable IPE Resource: Quick Guide for Busy Programs
As you saw above with Quick Case Rounds, our new quick guide doesn’t just list ideas—it gives you practical, ready-to-use strategies. Each entry includes:
- A Key Point on why it matters.
- A simple How to Start step.
- The relevant ACGME link to keep you compliant.
- A short Reflection Prompt to turn activity into learning.
The reflection prompts are especially vital. They ensure each activity moves beyond logistics and sparks the kind of insight that changes practice.
Top 10 Low-Burden IPE Ideas for Busy Programs offers ten of these strategies you can put in place right away—even in the busiest clinical environments.
For deeper integration, explore our full set of resources tied to the webinar Promoting Interprofessional Education (IPE) in GME on embedding IPE into GME: IPE Clinical Scenarios for Discussion, IPE Readiness Checklist for GME Programs, and Mini-Toolkit: Embedding IPE into GME Training.
How GME Accreditation Standards Connect with IPE
Beyond culture and outcomes, remember the accreditation stakes:
- Common Program Requirements: Interprofessional communication and teamwork are core expectations under Interpersonal and Communication Skills (4.8.b–4.8.c).
- Systems-Based Practice: Residents must coordinate care “across the health care continuum” (4.9.b).
- Institutional Requirements: Sponsoring Institutions must ensure quality improvement opportunities and structured handovers across programs (3.2.b–3.2.b.1 and 3.2.c–3.2.c.1).
- Annual Institutional Review: Institutional monitoring includes survey results and program accreditation information—areas influenced by teamwork culture (1.14.a.2–1.14.a.3).
Start Building IPE into Your GME Culture with Partners®
Every program can strengthen interprofessional collaboration with a few intentional choices. Start by downloading the quick guide and selecting one idea to pilot this year. Use it to test the waters, build confidence, and generate momentum.
Then, when you’re ready, integrate IPE into your core conferences, simulations, and evaluation processes. Over time, these deliberate moves will build a culture where collaboration is not an afterthought but a defining characteristic of your program.
Because in the end, it’s not just about residents. It’s about the patients they serve. And it’s reflection that ensures these interprofessional experiences move beyond activity to genuine growth and culture change.Ready to move from ideas to action? Download the quick guide now and connect with Partners® to build sustainable IPE strategies tailored to your program.
info@partnersinmeded.com | (724) 864-7320