When our students are asked what sets apart their experience at RFU, they inevitably mention our Interprofessional approach to teaching and learning. “Interprofessionalism” is a word with many syllables but a single goal: better health care for everyone, with strong interdisciplinary teams as the foundation.

Interprofessional Education (IPE): Students in different health professions learn about, from and with each other as a means to coordinating and improving patient care.

Improved patient outcomes—especially as healthcare delivery and insurance systems continue to change—drive our commitment to interprofessional teaching, learning, and clinical care, and have established RFU as national leaders in this approach.

Why interprofessionalism?

• Studies show that team-based care improves patient health outcomes, is more prevention-focused, and improves efficiency in terms of both time and costs.
• Learning in an Interprofessional environment better prepares you to work in real healthcare settings, where doctors, nurses, physical therapists, pharmacists, and others work together every day.
• Learning from and with peers in other academic disciplines helps you understand the big picture, improving communication and problem solving.
• An Interprofessional approach to education is the best way to prepare for careers in a rapidly-changing field, as increasing numbers of providers are shifting to team-based care.

Why interprofessionalism at RFU?

• Our five colleges and more than 30 graduate health profession and science programs—all in one university on a single campus—allow for multiple opportunities to bring together students and professors from different disciplines.
• RFU students gain hands-on, team-based experience caring for patients in our Interprofessional Community Clinic and through our Service Learning program. They also have many opportunities to work in teams in our network of simulation labs.
• Each first-year clinical program student takes The Foundations for Interprofessional Practice course during the fall and winter quarters, laying the groundwork for their academic experience and eventual career.
• In 2013, we established the interprofessional institute, one of only a handful of such institutes in the country. The DeWitt C. Baldwin Institute for Interprofessional Education serves as a university-wide coordinating hub for all Interprofessional learning and clinical opportunities, and also as a national leader in research on interprofessional research and practices.
• We’ve been focusing on interprofessionalism long enough to have a proven track record of teaching and learning success. More than 95 percent of students surveyed in 2013 said they’ll feel prepared to work in an interprofessional environment when they leave RFUMS.