Interprofessional Education Curriculum

U of T’s Centre for Advancing Collaborative Healthcare & Education (CACHE) is formerly known as the Centre for Interprofessional Education (IPE). This new name honours the rich history of the Centre while aiming to include all who contribute to health care, including patients/clients, families, caregivers, and more. It also represents the breadth of the Centre’s commitments to advancing collaboration in the domains of health education, practice, care, systems, policy, and research.

All health professional students have the opportunity to develop collaborative competencies through the integrated developmental Collaborative Healthcare & Education curriculum in both the university and practice settings. The goal of the Centre for Advancing Collaborative Healthcare & Education (CACHE) is to prepare health professional students with the knowledge, skills and attitudes necessary for collaborative interprofessional practice.

Over the course of the curriculum, students engage in a minimum number of approved core and elective learning activities according to their program requirements. Electives are facilitated by university and clinical faculty and include interactive sessions, simulations, patient/client/family stories, clinical team-led cases and discussion, student team-based activities, community clinic engagement, as well as facilitated blended learning activities. Students will receive weekly emails from CACHE about upcoming Interprofessional (IPE) activities.

Please visit the CACHE Website for information about CACHE at the University of Toronto, including IPE curriculum FAQs.

Learn more about Interprofessional Education opportunities for FIFSW students via the links below:

• CACHE Orientation
• CACHE Curriculum Requirements for MSW Students
• Interprofessional Education (IPE) Component in a Practice Setting
• Quercus
• Completion Letters and Certificate
• Other Ways to Participate in CACHE
• Contacts

FIFSW students: Please note that participation in the CACHE is encouraged yet VOLUNTARY. Social Work Students are NOT required to complete the Interprofessional (IPE) Curriculum as part of the MSW degree.

Social Work students share their experiences

Above: FIFSW Master of Social Work Students share their experiences participating in U of T’s Interprofessional Education (IPE) Curriculum through the Centre for Advancing Collaborative Healthcare & Education (CACHE)

CACHE Orientation

CACHE orientation is takes place in September and is open to all FIFSW students. More information will be provided closer to the date. All FIFSW students interested in learning more about the CACHE program are encouraged to attend.

This year CACHE Orientation took place on October 3, 2023. View slides from the Orientation presentation will be posted shortly.

Please follow links below to access the IPE Student handbook 

– Black and White IPE Handbook for Students (PDF)
– Coloured IPE Handbook for Students (PDF)

View slides from  the IPE Orientation presentation.

CACHE Curriculum Requirements for MSW Students

MSW students who wish to complete the CACHE Curriculum and receive a Letter of Completion must meet the following requirements:

Two-Year MSW Students are required to complete 4 core and 3 elective Interprofessional Education (IPE) learning activities.

Advanced Standing MSW Students are required to complete 3 core and 3 elective IPE learning activities.

Core Learning Activity Requirements

1. Why Collaborative Healthcare? Learning from stories and science (Year 1)
   ***Only required for students in the Two-Year MSW Program

2. Conflict in Interprofessional Life (Year 2 or Year 1 if Advanced Standing)

3. Case-Based: Palliative Care (Year 2 or Year 1 if Advanced Standing)

4. IPE Component in a Practice Setting (Any Year/Practicum)

Please note: all IPE health science students, including two-year MSW students, are required to complete the core activity “Why Collaborative Healthcare? Learning from stories and science” as part of their professional programs and will be automatically enrolled in this activity.

Pre-registration: It is advised that students who will be completing the CACHE curriculum inform the CACHE by emailing: ipe.utoronto@utoronto.ca to be pre-registered for the required core learning activities. All social work students are guaranteed a spot in core CACHE activities.

Elective Learning Activity Requirements

Students must complete a minimum of 3 elective learning activities of ANY competency level to receive a letter of completion. Check out the IPE Management System calendar for activity dates and times.

How to Register for Activities – The IPE Management System 

Students can browse and register for IPE learning activities through the IPE Management System. Here, students can also view their Student Record where their required and completed IPE learning activities are recorded.

Social Work registration for IPE elective activities on the IPE Management System will open at 12:00 pm, 3 weeks prior to the activity start date, unless otherwise stated.

If you have any questions about registering for activities or your attendance record, please contact: ipe.utoronto@utoronto.ca.

Interprofessional Education (IPE) Component in a Practice Setting

Students are advised to consult with their practicum field instructor to determine whether they will complete a Structured IPE Placement OR a Flexible IPE Placement during their MSW practicum (any year or practicum). Most MSW students do the Flexible IPE Placement.

Structured Placement

Structured IPE Placements are typically offered within clinical, hospital settings including many of the TAHSN (Toronto Academic Health Sciences Network) sites in Toronto. Structured inter-professional placements are organized internally within an organization and offered to students on practicum during a certain period of time in the year. Education coordinators or placement field instructors will typically inform their students if a Structured inter-professional placement is available. Upon completing the structured inter-professional placement, students will receive a certificate of completion. Students are responsible for sending a copy of the certificate to CACHE and their student IPE record will be updated for the IPE Component in a Practice Setting requirement.

Flexible Placement

Students can also work with their field instructor(s) to complete 3 Flexible interprofessional education placement activities that will develop the students’ competence in interprofessional collaboration.

1. Shadowing and/or Interviewing a Team Member

   • Activity description and Post-Activity Reflection Questions

   • Example activities: ask to meet with someone from a different disciplinary background (e.g. dietician, pharmacist, systems navigator, physician, police officer etc.) to learn about their role

2. Analyzing Interprofessional Interactions of Team Members

   • Activity description and Post-Activity Reflection Questions

   • Example activities: attend team meetings that include multiple disciplinary perspectives

3. Collaborating with Colleagues

   • Activity description and Post-Activity Reflection Questions

   • Example activities: working on a case with colleagues from different disciplinary backgrounds; attending “grand rounds” or other workshops that are led by someone from a different disciplinary background; participating in family meetings; attending education and learning activities.

How to get your IPE credit for the IPE component in a practice setting

1. After completing each activity, students must write a short reflection on the experience using the Post-Activity Reflection questions followed by a debrief with their field instructor (s).
2. Students need to email the completed reflection to the Social Work IPE Program Leads (see below), with their field instructor cc’d on the email. The student’s IPE record will be updated for the IPE Component in a Practice Setting requirement.

If you have any questions about how to complete the IPE component in a practice setting, or possible flexible IPE placement activities, please contact the FIFSW Faculty lead/representative Rachelle Ashcroft at rachelle.ashcroft@utoronto.ca.

Quercus

All Social Work students are automatically enrolled in the IPE Program/Curriculum on Quercus where they receive relevant announcements and can access information about CACHE and learning activities. The inter-professional education curriculum will remain on students’ Quercus dashboard regardless of whether or not students participate in the CACHE. There is no need for a student to ‘unregister’ if they decide NOT to participate in the CACHE. The Introduction to inter-professional education Modules on Quercus are optional for MSW students to complete.

Completion Letters and Certificate

Letter of Participation: Social Work students who choose not to complete the above curriculum requirements but participate in at least 1 IPE learning activity will receive a Letter of Participation.

Letter of Completion: Social Work students who meet the above curriculum requirements will receive a Letter of Completion. This letter can be downloaded from the Student Record on the IPE Management System – it is automatically available if requirements are completed.

Certificate of Distinction: Social Work students who complete at least 2 more IPE activities than what is required will receive a Certificate of Distinction. This certificate will be emailed to qualifying students.

Other Ways to Participate in CACHE

Students may receive IPE recognition for involvement in the following opportunities.

Interprofessional Health, Arts and Humanities Certificate Program

The Interprofessional HAH Certificate Program is a partnership between the Health, Arts and Humanities Program and CACHE at the University of Toronto. It is a specialty program offered within the IPE Curriculum portfolio. The program is designed to advance a deeper understanding of health, illness, suffering, disability and the provision of healthcare by creating a community of scholars in the arts, humanities and clinical sciences. Interested students must apply for acceptance into the Certificate Program and will receive a Certificate of Completion upon completing all requirements.

For more information visit the Interprofessional Health, Arts and Humanities Certificate Program webpage.

MSW students completing both the Interprofessional HAH Certificate Program and the IPE Curriculum can apply the applicable arts-based electives offered through the Centre for IPE (e.g. Global Health Film Fest, Reader’s Theatre, Interprofessional Literary Reflections) towards their MSW IPE requirements as well.

Interprofessional Health Students Association (IPHSA)

​IPHSA is an elected group of student representatives from the various Health Care faculties at the University of Toronto who are participating in and promoting interprofessional education (IPE) within these faculties. IPHSA provides opportunities for healthcare students to connect by organizing student networking events, creating avenues for advocacy, and by identifying relevant workshops for students to get exposed to diverse healthcare expertise. IPHSA has four committees: Health Policy, Outreach, Social, and Education.

All Social Work students are automatically IPHSA members and are eligible to apply for IPHSA executive positions and committees memberships.

Learn more about the Interprofessional Health Students Association (IPHSA).

Follow IPHSA’s Facebook page.

Senior Interprofessional Projects

The interprofessional student projects have been created for senior health profession students as an opportunity to partner with a community organization to address an area for future development while advancing collaborative leadership and interprofessional team competencies.

Learn more about senior interprofessional projects.

Interested in learning more about IPE? Associate Professors Keith Adamson and Rachelle Ashcroft recently published the article: “Integrating Social Work Into Interprofessional Education: A Review of One University’s Curriculum to Prepare Students for Collaborative Practice in Healthcare,” published in Advances in Social Work.