Interprofessional Education

Interprofessional education (IPE) prepares students from different health professions to work in a collaborative, team environment to provide effective patient- and population-centered care. By honing your teamwork and communication skills and understanding other health care professionals’ roles, you can better serve your patients, reduce medical errors and shorten in-patient stays.

In addition, skills and knowledge related to interprofessional collaboration are closely integrated into all social work competencies on the Council on Social Work Education’s latest Educational Policy and Accreditation Standards. 

Through UB’s IPE program, you can work with — and learn from — students from disciplines within and beyond health care, including medicine, dentistry, public health, physical and occupational therapy, pharmacy, nursing, dietetics, law and management. You will:

• Gain the knowledge and skills to effectively communicate and work in collaborative practice settings
• Understand the roles and responsibilities of other health care professionals — and help them understand the role of social workers too
• Develop key competencies — including the ability to manage conflict, discuss care plans and use feedback to improve performance — that translate to all practice models, including macro practice settings
• Be eligible, upon completion of all program requirements, to earn micro-credentials to display your competencies to colleagues and future employers

UB's Office of Interprofessional Practice and Education hosts Interprofessional Forums every fall and spring. Participating in a forum is a requirement for anyone enrolled in Interventions II (SW 521). Students in Interventions I (SW 520) may also be required to participate in IP forums and should consult with their instructor for details.

At the beginning of each semester, you will receive multiple emails with a link to register for the forums. Each forum includes one 90- to 120-minute synchronous workshop, and you can choose from multiple session times. When you register, you can rank your preferred times, but due to the logistical complexity of assigning nearly 1,000 students to small group discussions, we cannot guarantee your first or second choice slot.

In addition, you must also complete the pre-forum online modules through UB Learns to participate.

The fall forum is held on the first Thursday of November, while the spring forum is on the first Thursday of March.

If you wish to earn an Interprofessional Collaborative Practice micro-credential, you must complete both the spring and fall forums, along with all online modules. Note: The spring and fall forums are different but repeat each year, meaning you should only participate in one spring forum and one fall forum.

A make-up day will be offered to those who pre-registered and completed the pre-forum learning materials but could not participate in the small group discussions for unanticipated reasons.