Interprofessional Education Caregiving Certificate

The Interprofessional Education Caregiving Certificate (IPECC) provides social work and health affairs students and professionals with interprofessional education and team-based care didactic and experiential experiences to prepare them to be collaborative practice ready with diverse caregivers. The certificate will enhance the health affairs workforce by preparing students and professionals to engage in interprofessional and interdisciplinary team-based care that is culturally responsive, evidence-based and trauma-informed. The certificate is geared toward health profession disciplines that will work in a myriad of health-related settings where they will provide team-based care with caregivers and their care recipient.  

Caregiving is an expected responsibility of an estimated 53 million Americans. The certificate will emphasize caregiving of the following vulnerable populations: older adults; veterans; individuals with chronic and life-threatening conditions; individuals with severe persistent mental illness; children and youth with special needs; victims of maltreatment, abuse, violence and exploitation; and immigrants and refugees. Health affairs students and professionals will learn and apply the core interprofessional education collaborative (IPEC) competencies to caregiving with vulnerable populations through a social justice and intercultural competence lens. Education incorporating social work values, concepts and methodologies is uniquely suited for interprofessional and interdisciplinary caregiving training. 

By the completion of the certificate, students and professionals will be able to understand and value contributions, roles and responsibilities of social work and allied health disciplines and professionals in caregiving and team-based care. In relation to caregiving and team-based care, students and professionals will collaborate with social work and allied health professionals, including those from nursing, pharmacy, dentistry, gerontology and medicine, and learn evidence-informed methods for engaging, assessing, treatment care planning and interventions with informal caregivers. They will be able to view and approach interprofessional practice through a social justice and intercultural competence lens. Students and professionals will be able to apply interprofessional team-based practice competencies to caregiving in general and particularly with vulnerable populations.