Waterloo Pharmacy IPE

What is Intra-Interprofessional Education at Waterloo Pharmacy?

The IPE program at the University of Waterloo is committed to preparing students to be collaborative members of the healthcare team. We introduce IPE to our students in their first year, followed by a mandatory IPE seminar course in their second year. As students continue through the program, we work on providing them with ample opportunities to develop and enrich their understanding of IPE and the Canadian Interprofessional Health Collaborative (CIHC) competencies.

Interprofessional collaboration exists inside the classroom through developed curriculum and partnerships, however we know that it is “in the trenches” where IPC really flourishes. Through our unique co-op model and 4th year clinical rotations, students can practice/witness their IPE learnings outside of the classroom and get involved in interprofessional collaboration in action.

We also encourage self-directed learning and interprofessional team-based learning to create opportunities for networking and the chance to explore different topics and practice settings. Pharmacy IPE leverages the University of Waterloo and School of Pharmacy’s core strength in innovative experiential programming to deliver diverse IPE experiences. Our hope is by working with other institutions and community partners, we can prepare our students for interprofessional collaboration, resulting in improved patient outcomes.”

Interprofessional education occurs when students from two or more professions learn about, from, and with each other to enable effective collaboration and improve health outcomes. Once students understand how to work interprofessionally, they are ready to enter the workplace as a member of the collaborative practice team. This is a key step in moving health systems from fragmentation to a position of strength.

World Health Organization Framework for action on interprofessional education & collaborative practice

Are you a current student?

What is the difference between Interprofessional and Intraprofessional collaboration?

Interprofessional collaboration means healthcare professionals with different backgrounds, collaborating to deliver high-quality care within health and social care. An example of this would be a team of physicians, nurses, pharmacists, and respiratory therapists working together.

Intraprofessional collaboration means healthcare professionals with the same background collaborating to provide care. An example of this would be a team of pharmacists and pharmacy technicians working together to offer high-quality care to their patients.

Waterloo Pharmacy IPE Program Stages

IPE at the School of Pharmacy is broken down into 3 stages and embedded in both curricular and experiential learnings throughout the students degree.

Stage 1: Interprofessional Education Foundational Content (Exposure)

Seven people in lab coats talking in pharmacy

Exposure

Didactic teaching
Core IPE concepts and competencies.

Stage 2: Intra-Interprofessional Simulated Learning Experiences (Immersion)

Different coloured hands such as blue and pink reaching out to eachother in a circle

Immersion

In-person and online interactions with students and faculty from other programs.
Workshops, seminars, role clarification exercises, facilitated small-group case discussions, and role-plays with standardized patients.

Stage 3: Intra-Interprofessional Clinical Practice Experiences (Application)

Cartoon graphic of the interior of a hospital

Application

Authentic IP learning opportunities in a variety of practice settings – Co-op work terms and 4th year clinical rotations.
Apply core concepts in clinical practice, gain confidence and refine collaborative competencies.

Student experiences

"Events become so much more valuable when you can bring in people of different professions to share their own experiences and knowledge. It is much more impactful when someone is speaking/teaching from experience, rather than using secondhand resources."

Sydney Eng

The skills I developed during this IPE event, especially in terms of communication and understanding the importance of addressing not only the patient’s but also the family's needs, will undoubtedly help with my future practice."

Shiv Patel

“My key takeaways about interprofessional collaboration over the last two terms is that we all share a common purpose of providing patient centered quality care and we all have a unique set of skills to bring to the table."

Zoya Choukeir

"I have seen how positive interprofessional collaboration leads to better healthcare outcomes. Honesty and transparency are important to build trust within the team and with patients. Effective communication allows for coordinated care.”

Supreet Kapoor

"Palliative care is extremely interprofessional, and acknowledging the limitations of my scope and where other professions may be able to help out is important for ensuring the best possible care for the patient”

Kelsey Mar

What are the Canadian Interprofessional Healthcare Competencies (CIHC)?

There are six competency domains that highlight the knowledge, skills, attitudes, and values that shape the judgments essential for interprofessional collaborative practice.

Relationship-Focused Care/Services
Team Communication
Role Clarification & Negotiation
Team Functioning
Team Differences/Disagreements Processing
Collaborative Leadership

Each of the competencies are equally valuable and continue to develop over an individual’s professional lifespan. These competencies can be implemented within any relevant practice/learning situation and integrated into every new experience. ~CIHC National Competency Framework

4 Circles Listing the CIHC competencies with the word "patient" in the overlapping center circle.

IPE at a glance

Group of Uwaterloo IPE conference attendees

Students listening to panel speak at IPE event

Group of students from IPE day 2025 sitting at table together

Group of students at IPE day particiapting in workshop

IPE group meeting online with video cameras on and people smiling

What can you expect from our events?

Our most recent event, Intraprofessional Exploration: Pharmacy & Pharmacy Technician Programs Event, gathered 367 students, from over 10 different schools in Ontario at Humber Polytechnic. Pharmacists and Pharmacy Technicians collaborated closely in professional practice in interactive workshops. Learners from both professions engaged with one another to foster role clarity and enhance team dynamics, preparing them for effective interprofessional collaboration in their future practice.

Group of students from IPE day posing for photo