The Interprofessional Learning Development Committee was set up in 2023 with representation from all Schools in the College of Medicine and Health. The aim of the committee is to support the ongoing development of Interprofessional Learning (IPL) for all students. The committee champions an innovative, community engaged and dynamic approach to IPL for students of all healthcare programmes to best prepare them for future collaborative practice.
Interprofessional Learning (IPL) occurs when two or more professions learn with, from and about each other to enable effective collaboration and improve health outcomes (WHO 2010). IPL is a necessary step in preparing a collaborative practice-ready health workforce that is better prepared to respond to local health needs.
The committee explores new opportunities and collaborations to progress it’s vision of optimising patient and healthcare outcomes through collaborative, interprofessional practice.
Mission statement:
Our mission is to lead an innovative programme of interprofessional learning, education and scholarship in the College of Medicine and Health, in order to prepare our students to be collaborative and competent healthcare professionals who advance person-centred care and improve health outcomes.
Vision:
To be recognised as a leader in training collaborative healthcare leaders at the College of Medicine and Health, to advance healthcare delivery and interprofessional collaborative practice.
Goals:
- To incorporate IPL into the existing curricula for all students.
- To implement an experiential IPL curriculum, which is person-centred, connected to healthcare practice, to further the development of students interprofessional core competencies (CIHC):
- Role clarification
- Team functioning
- Interprofessional communication
- Patient/client/family/community-centred care
- Interprofessional conflict resolution
- Collaborative leadership
- To support research and scholarly output on IPL activity

Research Papers and Links
Fleming A, Buckley C, Kamal S, McCarthy N, Dalton O’Connor C, Daly J, Roura M, Harding M, Wills T, Wall O, HSE/UCC IPL Development Group, Young R. Development of of a pilot interprofessional education workshop for healthcare students and assessment of interprofessional collaborative competency attainment. Journal of Interprofessional Care 2023 DOI: 10.1080/13561820.2023.2202189
Weblink: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13561820.2023.2202189
_______________________________________
Fleming A, Joy A, Barron E, Sahm LJ. Interprofessional Learning for Pharmacy students – an opportunity for enhanced student experiential learning.
Abstract available from: https://www.inhed.ie/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/INMED2018-Book-of-Abstracts.pdf
_______________________________________
Office of UCC Academic Health Sciences
Interprofessional Learning at the College of Medicine and Health is supported by clinical practitioners and healthcare professionals across all healthcare settings in the UCC partner hospitals and primary care providers.
Established in 2022, UCC Academic Health Sciences forms part of the University’s College of Medicine & Health. We work to develop and promote health initiatives and strategies across UCC’s Health Sciences, our hospital partners and community healthcare organisations, all based in the south/south west region.
UCC is the primary academic partner to nine hospitals in the HSE South/SouthWest Hospital Group (SSWHG). We also have a working relationship with the Bon Secours Hospital Cork, Marymount University Hospital & Hospice, the Mater Private Hospital Cork, and Public Health and Primary Care in the Cork and Kerry region.
This includes developing and implementing the strategic vision and direction for healthcare education, research and innovation across UCC and SSWHG, and ultimately the successful creation of an Academic Health Science System in the South/South West region, which in turn forms part of a national academic health sciences system strategy.
The annual All Ireland Interprofessional Healthcare Challenge for students (AIPEC) local UCC heat will take place on Wed 12th March
Join us from 5.30pm -7.30pm in LG01 in the School of Pharmacy - light refreshments from 5pm!
Three Interprofessional student teams from across the COMH and the School of Social Work will present their management plan for a patient living with Heart Failure. The teams have been working together since January on their team presentation.
The winning team will represent UCC at the intervarsity All Ireland final on Fri 28th March in University College Dublin. The final will have student teams from 8 universities (UCC, University of Limerick, University of Galway, Trinity College Dublin, University College Dublin, Royal College of Surgeons Ireland, Queen's University Belfast and University of Ulster).
Our judging panel with expertise in Cardiology and Heart Failure are:
Professor David Kerins UCC and Mercy University Hospital.
Advanced Nurse Practitioner Mairead Lehane Cork University Hospital.
Physiotherapist Jennifer Daly Cork University Hospital.
We look forward to hearing about the lived experience from a patient living with Heart Failure.
We welcome staff from across COMH to come and support the student teams at the event.
Please register for attendance here.
If you would like to find out more about IPL, please email ipl@ucc.ie
Alternatively, contact Dr Aoife Fleming, IPL Committee Chair and Vice Head of Interprofessional Learning CoMH a.fleming@ucc.ie