Shaping a sustainable interprofessional education program

This paper outlines the evolution and initial research findings of a new interprofessional education (IPE) program at Monash University, initially targeting undergraduate students of health science/social work, occupational therapy and physiotherapy. This is contextualised within the broader challenge of elevating IPE to core business status - a long-haul prospect. This initiative marks a significant advance in the quest to boost IPE, by building it into ongoing programs rather than appending it as an add-on or a short-term project. Research data include measures of interprofessional attitudes, skills and knowledge reported by students before and after a Rural Interprofessional Week . This paper also outlines some of the challenges, both in the past and future, involved in establishing such a program across disciplinary streams, as well as actual and recommended strategies for negotiating these issues. An effective process for managing such institutional change has proven just as important as establishing an evidence base to measure student educational gains. In this paper, the authors share their practical experiences of developing a new IPE program through to initial implementation, including the key stages, challenges, solutions generated and lessons learned. It is hoped that these findings may assist others to position IPE as a sustainable component within their own programs. [Author abstract]