Dr. Rebecca Wiseman is the Chair of the University of Maryland School of Nursing located at the Universities at Shady Grove. She has been actively engaged in interprofessional program planning, implementation and evaluation for the past twelve years. Dr. Wiseman has made several national presentations on her work in interprofessional program planning and is committed to developing partnerships to actively engage in collaboration to improve healthcare education and patient outcomes. She has been instrumental in developing and supporting these community-based, ambulatory care IPE opportunities for our students at University of Maryland.
Developing expertise in IPE and interprofessional collaboration (IPC) in patient care is essential to educating healthcare professionals prepared to function effectively within today's emerging patient-centered healthcare teams. When disciplines work collaboratively, communication and teamwork are enhanced, thus improving quality of care (Institute of Medicine, 2015; Jennings, et al., 2016). But multiple barriers prevent IPE in ambulatory community settings, including limited space, fewer resources, and fewer disciplines and/or patients available at the same time.