Integrating interprofessional education into the curriculum: Challenges and solutions for a university without a medical center D.M. VanKuiken a, * , J.K. Schaefer b , M. Flaum Hall c , F.R. Browne d a School of Nursing, Xavier University, 3800 Victory Parkway, Cincinnati, OH 45207-7351, USA b Department of Social Work, Xavier University, 3800 Victory Parkway, Cincinnati, OH 45207, USA c Department of Clinical Mental Health Counseling, Xavier University, 3800 Victory Parkway, Cincinnati, OH 45207, USA d Department of Health Services Administration, Xavier University, 3800 Victory Parkway, Cincinnati, OH 45207, USA article info Article history: Received 18 September 2015 Received in revised form 3 December 2015 Accepted 8 December 2015 Keywords: Interprofessional education Interprofessional collaboration Pedagogy abstract The education of health care professionals has evolved from focusing on the individual practitioner's knowledge and skills to recognizing that high quality health care requires practitioners who are prepared to function in interprofessional teams. Higher education is heeding the call to prepare students to value teamwork and develop skills for working in interprofessional teams. While there is much written on implementing interprofessional education (IPE) in the practice setting and in larger institutions, there is little literature on implementing IPE within a university that is not affiliated with a medical school or medical center; which can be especially challenging. This article shares the many challenges to imple- menting IPE within this context and presents strategies one university used toward developing an in- tegrated IPE program that is relevant to nine health-related disciplines. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. Over 40 years ago, the Institute of Medicine Steering Committee identified interprofessional education (IPE) as a best practice in the education of health care professionals and predicted that educating professionals to work effectively in teams would improve the effi- cacy and optimal functioning of the health care system. 1 The Interprofessional Education Collaborative supported the impor- tance of this work by the developing common IPE competencies. 2 Health care disciplines, for example nursing, athletic training, pharmacy, and social work have included competencies regarding interprofessional practice in essential standards for curriculum. 3 Universities, nationally and globally, have made advances in designing, implementing, and measuring educational experiences to support team-based competencies, yet there remain commonly-encountered barriers to creating meaningful, systemic, and sustainable IPE. However, IPE has been challenging in practice. Issues of turf, economic interests, and an entrenched belief that practitioners are individually responsible for patient outcomes continue to present barriers to the team approach. 4 The purpose of this article is to highlight how a private university without an affiliated medical center created a multi- faceted IPE program that engages students from a variety of disciplines and experience levels. While the healthcare-related programs at this university are not necessarily integrated them- selves, the approach of this university to IPE has been one of bringing students from the programs together into an integrated IPE approach that looks to build knowledge of health professions, positive attitudes toward IPE, and teamwork skills in a way that reflects the developmental needs of students. The IPE approach ranges from one-day events, class projects branching across dis- ciplines, to a designated IPE course. Since this IPE approach really requires faculty from different disciplines to work together, the hope is this will lead to integration at the program level eventually. The authors discuss a multi-layered approach of IPE initiatives, along with lessons learned in the planning, implementation, and measurement of outcomes for an IPE program. In addition, authors explore the professional and pedagogical issues that arise in IPE Abbreviations: IPE, Interprofessional education; IPEC, Interprofessional Educa- tion Collaborative; UG, undergraduate; G, graduate. Author note: This project is/was partially supported by funds from the Division of Nursing (DN), Bureau of Health Professions (BHPr), Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) under grant award #D09HP25032 and title Advanced Education Nursing grant for $827,256.00 for the budget period 09/01/2012 through 06/30/2015. The information or content and conclusions are those of the author and should not be construed as the official position or policy of, nor should any official endorsement be inferred by the DN, HRSA, DHHS, or US Gov. * Corresponding author. Tel.: þ1 513 745 3042. E-mail address: vankuikend@xavier.edu (D.M. VanKuiken). Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Journal of Interprofessional Education & Practice journal homepage: http://www.jieponline.com http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.xjep.2015.12.002 2405-4526/Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. Journal of Interprofessional Education & Practice 2 (2016) 5e11