Winter 2012 - Western University of Health Sciences

By Daniel Robinson, PharmD, FASHP, Dean, College of Pharmacy, WesternU
Imagine if instead of having one health care professional trying
to address all of your medical needs, you had a team of
professionals working together to give you the best diagnosis and
treatments possible. Western University of Health Sciences
(WesternU) has developed an innovative program that offers just
that, and more. For four years now, WesternU has been a pioneer
in developing an Interprofessional Education (IPE) curriculum,
which we hope will change the face of health care as we know it.
IPE is generally accepted to mean “When [students from] two or more
professions learn about, from and with each other to enable effective
collaboration and improve health outcomes.” Framework for Action on
Interprofessional Education & Collaborative Practice. WHO 2010
IPE is generally accepted to
mean “When [students from]
two or more professions learn
about, from and with each
other to enable effective
collaboration and improve
health outcomes.”
Teamwork in health care is not a new concept. In fact, society has every right
to expect that the delivery of health care should be a well-choreographed
process in which all members of the health care enterprise work in concert to
ensure the best possible results for the patients and populations they serve. But
where does a commitment to teamwork come from? Does it come from the
Hippocratic Oath, the Oath of a Pharmacist, the Florence Nightingale Pledge,
2 | RxBound WesternU, College of Pharmacy