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IPEC Competencies
Interprofessional education is guided by four competencies that were developed in 2011 and updated in 2016 by the Interprofessional Educational Collaborative. The intent of the Interprofessional Education Collaborative (IPEC) that came together in 2009 to develop core competencies for interprofessional collaborative practice was to build on each profession’s expected disciplinary competencies. In 2016 the IPEC Board aimed to reaffirm the original competencies, ground the competency model firmly under the singular domain of Interprofessional Collaboration, and broaden the competencies to better integrate population health approaches across the health and partner professions so as to enhance collaboration for improving both individual care and population health outcomes.
JMU is committed to building curricular and co-curricular activities that provide students opportunities to learn about and build skills around these competencies for all students preparing for careers in health and behavioral studies.
JMU CHBS IPE Competencies (Adapted from IPEC 2016 Competencies)
*These competencies were edited to include interdisciplinary language in order to include the various professions and disciplines within the College of Health and Behavioral Studies and are for internal use only.
*The development of interprofessional competencies for education has largely been driven by the health sector. Therefore, the original language is very health-centric using words like “patient,” “health care,” “health care teams,” and so on. Because we prepare students for careers in a variety of settings, the language has been slightly adjusted to make it less health-centric. The citation for the IPEC document with the original competency language is listed below.
Competency 1: Work with individuals of other professions [and disciplines] to maintain a climate of mutual respect and shared values. (Values and Ethics for interprofessional practice)
VE1: Place interests of individuals, families, and communities at the center of service delivery, and program and policy development, with the goal of promoting equitable well-being across the life span.
VE2: Respect the dignity and privacy of individuals, families, and communities while maintaining confidentiality in the delivery of team-based services.
VE3: Embrace the cultural diversity and individual differences that characterize the people and populations we serve as well as the members of our interdisciplinary team.
VE4: Respect the unique cultures, values, roles/responsibilities, and expertise of other professions [and disciplines] and the impact these factors can have on … outcomes.
VE5: Work in cooperation with those who receive services, those who provide services, and others who contribute to or support the delivery of services and programs.
VE6: Develop a trusting relationship with individuals, families and other team members.
VE7: Demonstrate high standards of ethical conduct and quality of service in contributions to team-based [services].
VE8: Manage ethical dilemmas specific to interprofessional/interdisciplinary person/population-centered service situations.
VE9: Act with honesty and integrity in relationships with individuals, families, communities, and other team members.
VE10: Maintain competence in one’s own profession and/or discipline appropriate to scope of practice.
Competency 2: Use the knowledge of one’s own role and those of other professions [and disciplines] to appropriately assess and address the needs of individuals, families and communities and to promote and advance their well-being.
RR1: Communicate one’s roles and responsibilities clearly to individuals, families, community members, and other team members.
RR2: Recognize one’s limitations in skills, knowledge, and abilities.
RR3: Engage people from diverse professions and disciplines who complement one’s own professional/disciplinary expertise, as well as associated resources, to develop strategies to meet the specific needs of individuals, families, and communities.
RR4: Explain the roles and responsibilities of other team members and how the team works together to provide services.
RR5: Use the full scope of knowledge, skills, and abilities of professionals from all relevant fields to provide services that are safe, timely, efficient, effective, and equitable.
RR6: Communicate with team members to clarify each member’s responsibility in executing components of a service delivery plan.
RR7: Forge interdependent relationships with other professions/disciplines to improve services and advance learning.
RR8: Engage in continuous professional and interprofessional/interdisciplinary development to enhance team performance and collaboration.
RR9: Use unique and complementary abilities of all members of the team to optimize service delivery.
RR10 Describe how members of different professions and disciplines from a variety of fields can collaborate and integrate services to optimize individual, family, and community well-being.
Competency 3: Communicate with individuals, families, communities, and professionals in a variety of fields in a responsive and responsible manner that supports a team approach to the promotion and maintenance of individual, family, and community well-being. (Interprofessional/Interdisciplinary Communication)
CC1: Choose effective communication tools and techniques, including information systems and communication technologies, to facilitate discussion and interactions that enhance team function.
CC2: Communicate information with individuals, families, community members, and team members in a form that is understandable, avoiding discipline-specific terminology when possible.
CC3: Express one’s knowledge and opinions to team members with confidence, clarity, and respect working to ensure common understanding of information, service delivery decisions, and program policies.
CC4: Listen actively, and encourage ideas and opinions of other team members.
CC5: Give timely, sensitive, instructive feedback to others about their performance on the team, responding respectfully as a team member to feedback from others.
CC6: Use respectful language appropriate for a given difficult situation, crucial conversation, or conflict.
CC7: Recognize how one’s uniqueness (experience level, expertise, culture, power, and hierarchy within the team) contributes to effective communication, conflict resolution and positive interprofessional/interdisciplinary working relationships.
CC8: Communicate the importance of teamwork in person-centered service delivery and developing programs and policies.
Competency 4: Apply relationship-building values and the principles of team dynamics to perform effectively in different team roles to plan, deliver, and evaluate person-centered services and community-centered programs and policies that are safe, timely, efficient, effective, and equitable. (Teams and Teamwork)
TT1: Describe the process of team development and the roles and practices of effective teams.
TT2: Develop consensus on the ethical principles to guide all aspects of team work.
TT3: Engage all team members in shared person-centered and population-focused problem-solving.
TT4: Integrate the knowledge and experiences of all professions/disciplines to inform service delivery decisions, while respecting the values and preferences of individuals, families, and communities receiving services.
TT5: Apply leadership practices that support collaborative practice and team effectiveness.
TT6: Engage self and others to constructively manage disagreements about values, roles, goals, and actions that arise among team members and with individuals, families, and community members.
TT7: Share accountability with other team members, individuals, families, and communities for outcomes relevant to the well-being of all. TT8: Reflect on individual and team performance for individual as well as team performance improvement.
TT9: Use process improvement to increase effectiveness of interprofessional/interdisciplinary teamwork and team-based services, programs, and policies.
TT10: Use available evidence to inform effective teamwork and team-based practices.
TT11: Perform effectively on teams and in different team roles in a variety of settings.
Interprofessional Education Collaborative. (2016). Core competencies for interprofessional collaborative practice: 2016 update. Washington, D.C.: Interprofessional Education Collaborative.
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Last Update:
March 14, 2022
