It takes collaboration between different health care disciplines to grow and to solve current and future issues. That’s what interprofessionalism at Rush is all about.
Different perspectives in health care bring unique ideas and talents to the table to help improve patient care. Interprofessionalism works to break down barriers between everyone involved in patient care, allowing for a unique collaboration that results in better learning and the best possible health outcomes. It allows Rush’s talented students and staff to fully flourish.
For more than two decades, not only has Rush emphasized interprofessional education, training and research activities, we have been a go-to resource for other academic, health care, not-for-profit and research institutions as they develop their own interprofessional training and approaches to health care.
Our faculty members represent many disciplines, including medicine, nursing, social work, gerontology and clinical nutrition. Our resources are open to all and include online courses, publications, consulting and other activities.
Why Interprofessionalism?
Because it works. Evidence shows that interprofessional experience helps health workers gain the skills needed for practice-ready jobs.
In both clinical practice and education, interprofessionalism encourages a focus on teamwork based not on a specialty or hierarchy but rather on effectiveness and outcomes aimed at bringing together everyone who works with patients.
What Does Interprofessionalism Teach Us?
Our interprofessionalism efforts follow core competencies set out by the International Education Collaborative to ensure students have the knowledge, skills and values they need to function as part of a team and to provide effective patient-centered collaborative health care. These core competencies are as follows:
- Values and ethics — Work in an ethical and respectful manner with all members of the health care team responsible for investigating, developing and delivering patient-centered health care
- Roles and responsibilities — Engage diverse professionals to complement one’s own professional experience
- Communication — Communicate with clarity, confidence and respect in encouraging ideas and opinions of other team members to ensure a common understanding of information, treatment and health care decisions
- Teamwork — Apply leadership practices that support collaborative practice, team effectiveness and patient-centered health care