How to Earn an IPE Microcredential

What is the benefit?

Earning an Interprofessional Education (IPE) microcredential gives you a clear advantage as you prepare for your future career. It shows employers that you have intentionally developed the skills needed to work confidently on interdisciplinary teams—an essential expectation in today’s healthcare, education, and community-based professions.

Through the microcredential, you’ll learn the foundations of IPE, including the four Core Competencies identified by the Interprofessional Education Collaborative—Values and Ethics, Roles and Responsibilities, Interprofessional Communication, and Teams and Teamwork. You’ll also gain hands-on experience applying these skills through experiential learning opportunities, helping you graduate with practical, real-world preparation and the confidence to collaborate effectively from day one.

IPE Foundations Badge (Level I)

The IPE Foundations Badge introduces you to interprofessional learning and prepares you to collaborate effectively across disciplines. Through a series of engaging workshops, you’ll build core teamwork, communication, and collaboration skills that are essential for your future profession.

To earn the Foundations Badge, students must:

  • Attend three in-person IPE workshops
  • Complete required pre- and post-work for each workshop
  • Total commitment: 18 in-person hours (6 hours per workshop)

Introduction to Interprofessional Education
Offered: First-Year Fall
Format:

  • 6 hours in person
  • 2 hours asynchronous (pre- and post-work)

What You’ll Learn

This workshop is your introduction to Interprofessional Education (IPE) and collaborative practice. You’ll learn why teamwork across professions is essential in today’s healthcare, education, and community settings and how your role fits within a larger team.

You will explore:

  • What IPE is and why it matters for your future career
  • How different professions work together to improve outcomes
  • How to communicate clearly, listen actively, and solve problems as a team

You’ll also be introduced to the four Core Competencies developed by the Interprofessional Education Collaborative (IPEC), which guide effective teamwork:

  • Values & Ethics
  • Roles & Responsibilities
  • Interprofessional Communication
  • Teams & Teamwork

This workshop helps you begin thinking like a collaborator—someone who contributes their expertise while working effectively with others.

Values & Ethics in Interprofessional Practice
Offered: First-Year Spring
Format:

  • 6 hours in person
  • 2 hours asynchronous (pre- and post-work)

What You’ll Learn

Effective teamwork starts with shared values and ethical practice. In this workshop, you’ll explore how professionals from different fields work together with mutual respect, integrity, and a shared commitment to those they serve.

You will learn:

  • How shared values guide interprofessional teamwork
  • How different professions uphold ethical principles such as respect, confidentiality, and responsibility
  • How to navigate ethical challenges and differing perspectives
  • How to keep care and services centered on individuals, families, and communities

By the end of this workshop, you’ll better understand how values and ethics create trust, strengthen teams, and support high-quality outcomes.

Health & Education Disparities
Offered: Second-Year Fall
Format:

  • 6 hours in person
  • 2 hours asynchronous (pre- and post-work)

What You’ll Learn

This workshop focuses on equity, health justice, and the role of interprofessional teams in addressing health and educational disparities.

You will explore:

  • How social determinants of health and education affect outcomes
  • How bias, discrimination, and systemic barriers contribute to disparities
  • The importance of cultural humility and self-reflection in teamwork
  • How collaboration across professions can promote more equitable outcomes

This workshop challenges you to think critically about your role as a future professional—and how working together can help create meaningful change for individuals and communities.

Why the IPE Foundations Badge Matters

By completing the IPE Foundations Badge, you’ll gain:

  • A strong foundation in interprofessional collaboration
  • Hands-on experience working with students from other disciplines
  • Skills employers value: communication, teamwork, and problem-solving
  • Preparation for advanced IPE experiences and field-based learning

The Foundations Badge marks your first step toward becoming a collaborative professional ready for real-world practice.

IPE Experiential Training Badge (Level II)

The IPE Experiential Training Badge gives you the opportunity to learn by doing and collaborating with purpose. You will apply interprofessional skills in real-world and simulated environments. Through hands-on learning experiences, you’ll work alongside students from other disciplines to strengthen teamwork, communication, and collaborative problem-solving.  These are the skills employers expect from today’s professionals.

To earn this badge, students complete an IPE Simulation and/or a Community-Based Fellowship, along with required pre- and post-work.

Completion of the Foundations Badge is not required.

Practice teamwork before you’re in the field.
IPE Simulations are interactive, hands-on learning experiences where students from different programs work together to navigate realistic scenarios you may encounter in your future career, such as coordinating care, supporting clients with complex needs, or addressing community challenges.

Simulations offer a supportive environment to build confidence and practice collaboration without real-world risk.

During an IPE Simulation, you will:

  • Work in interdisciplinary teams
  • Share discipline-specific expertise to address a scenario
  • Practice communication, decision-making, and teamwork
  • Participate in a guided debrief to reflect on collaboration and outcomes

Each simulation has specific learning outcomes tied to teamwork and interprofessional practice.

Take your learning into the community.
IPE Field Fellowships are structured, experiential opportunities at community and clinical sites affiliated with Iona University. These fellowships allow you to put theory into practice while working on interdisciplinary teams in real settings.

Students bring both discipline-specific knowledge and a shared foundation in the four Core Competencies established by the Interprofessional Education Collaborative (IPEC).

As an IPE Community-Based Fellow, you will:

  • Work as part of an interdisciplinary student team
  • Apply IPE principles in real-world contexts
  • Learn how professionals collaborate to meet shared goals
  • Receive guidance from a trained faculty or site-based facilitator

IPE Community-Based fellowships provide hands-on experience in interprofessional collaborative practice and help you understand how teams function in authentic professional environments.

Why Earn the IPE Experiential Training Badge?

By completing the IPE Experiential Badge, you will:

  • Gain real-world experience working on interdisciplinary teams
  • Strengthen communication, collaboration, and leadership skills
  • Build confidence in team-based practice
  • Enhance your resume with applied interprofessional learning
  • Signal to employers that you are prepared for collaborative, person-centered practice

IPE Certificate Microcredential

Earning the Interprofessional Education (IPE) Certificate microcredential reflects a complete and meaningful commitment to collaborative professional practice. By completing both the Level I Foundations Badge and the Level II Experiential Badge, students build essential knowledge and then apply it in real-world and simulated settings—an approach that mirrors how professionals learn and work in practice.

The Foundations Badge provides the critical groundwork, introducing the principles of interprofessional education and the Core Competencies established by the Interprofessional Education Collaborative, including teamwork, communication, roles and responsibilities, and values and ethics. The Experiential Badge then allows students to put these competencies into action through simulations and community-based field fellowships, strengthening confidence and readiness for team-based practice.

To earn the IPE Certificate microcredential, students must successfully complete all requirements for both the Foundations Badge and the Experiential Badge. Together, these badges demonstrate to future employers that students are not only knowledgeable about interprofessional collaboration, but experienced in applying it—preparing them to contribute effectively from day one in healthcare, education, and community-based careers.