Strengthening collaborative practice: building the Des Moines area interprofessional education collaborative across five educational institutions

Abstract

We describe the development, structure, and lessons learned from the Des Moines Area Interprofessional Education Collaborative (DMAIPEC), a regional, multi-institution partnership designed to prepare health professions students for collaborative, team-based care in an increasingly complex healthcare system. Grounded in the Institute of Medicine’s call for improved teamwork and the Interprofessional Education Collaborative (IPEC) Core Competencies, DMAIPEC was formalized through a memorandum of understanding among five founding institutions in the Des Moines metropolitan area. The collaborative utilizes a shared governance model with rotating leadership, coordinated financial and in-kind support, and a centralized planning committee that designs and implements approximately 12 Interprofessional Education (IPE) activities that serves an average of 2,000 learners annually. Systematic processes align each activity with specific IPEC competencies and learner levels, incorporate structured reflection, and use common assessment items modeled to use longitudinally.  Lessons learned and challenges have been met with collaboration solutions. DMAIPEC now represents a scalable, community integrated model of interprofessional education that operationalizes best practices in collaborative, patient centered training and offers a framework for others to advance healthcare quality, safety, and workforce readiness through interprofessional learning.