GLIDE Program

Georgia’s Learning through Interprofessional Development Experience (GLIDE) Program for Academic Year 2019-20

(Revised 8/22/2019)

UGA’s Interprofessional Education (IPE) Leadership Committee was formed in 2017 and charged by the Provost to develop campus-wide interprofessional educational opportunities for all UGA students.

The GLIDE program successfully launched in AY18-19 and supported three IPE learning experiences on various interdisciplinary topics. Students from many UGA colleges participated together in the experiences and found that the educational sessions enhanced their understanding of IPE and its core competencies.

The Provost will continue support of the GLIDE program for AY 19-20. Please see below for further details on how to apply for funding and the application process.

What is IPE? As broadly defined by the World Health Organization in 2010 [1], IPE is “When students from two or more professions learn about, from and with each other to enable effective collaboration and improve health outcomes.”

IPE has been firmly established and affirmed in the health professions as a necessary practice to prepare future health professionals to improve team-based patient care and health outcomes since 2009, when six health profession associations and partner organizations established the Interprofessional Education Collaborative (IPEC). Today, IPEC includes 20 health professions member associations, and more than 60 other professions have participated in IPEC Faculty Development Institutes designed to bring together multi-profession teams with the goal of advancing IPE at their institutions [2]. As the flagship institution of the USG, and a land- and sea-grant institution composed of 17 schools and colleges spanning a wide range of professions, the University of Georgia is similarly poised to lead efforts to expand IPE to disciplines beyond the health professions.  

What is the GLIDE Program? The GLIDE Program provides one-time funding to support a half-day or full-day substantive interprofessional development experience wherein academic programs representing three or more professions bring faculty and students together to learn about each other and how to work effectively in interprofessional teams in preparation for entry into the workplace as members of a collaborative team. The experience should be framed around a complex case or case study that requires insight, perspective and skills be brought to bear from multiple professions in order to address a problem. The goal of the GLIDE Program should be focused on achievement of the interprofessional competencies, not solution of the problem.

The GLIDE Program envisions that these half-day or full-day experiences may lead to curricular innovation and integration of IPE into existing or new courses, or even new degree programs at UGA. Therefore, the GLIDE Program is ideal for colleges and departments looking for an opportunity to develop or enhance interprofessional offerings within their academic programs.

The proposed case studies may be framed around a broad array of areas or themes—including People, Communities, the Environment, the World—as well as the interrelationship between one or more of these areas.  

The list of possible case study themes may be very broad, reflecting the breadth of academic programs and research disciplines at UGA. For example, envisioned themes may be similar to, or an extension of, the grand challenges identified by UGA in 2017. The following are representative themes envisioned by the GLIDE Program and examples of the academic units that could participate. The themes are representative only and are not intended to be exclusive.  

  • Enhancing Health and Well-Being (Nursing, Social Work, Pharmacy, Medical Partnership). See recently developed case at UGA in the Appendix.
  • Ensuring Safe Food and Water (Warnell, CAES, Ecology, FACS, Public Health)
  • Promoting Cyber, Domestic, and Global Security (Franklin, Engineering, SPIA, Law, Terry College)
  • Engineering Environmental Sustainability and Resiliency (Engineering, CED, Franklin)
  • Building Vital and Prosperous Communities (CED, Social Work, Education, FACS)
  • Predicting and Managing Disease Outbreaks (Ecology, Franklin College, Public Health, Veterinary Medicine, Medical Partnership)
  • Addressing Antimicrobial Resistance (Veterinary Medicine, Pharmacy, Public Health, Medical Partnership)
  • Emergency Management Preparedness (Public Health, UGA Office of Emergency Preparedness, Grady College, SPIA).
  • Addressing Climate Change (Franklin College, Warnell, Ecology)
  • Resolving Global Conflict (Franklin, Law, Social Work, SPIA)
  • Challenges of Creating and Managing Entrepreneurial Ventures (Terry College, FACS)
  • Ethical and Legal Issues in Social Media (Grady College, Law, SPIA, Social Work)

Four Core Competency Domains for Interprofessional Education

The GLIDE Program defines four core competency domains for interprofessional education. These four domains were adapted from The Interprofessional Education Collaborative (IPEC’s) Core Competencies for Interprofessional Collaborative Practice: 2016 Update [3].

  • Core Competency #1. Values and Ethics for Interprofessional Practice. The student(s) should be able to work with individuals of other professions to maintain a climate of mutual respect and shared values. 
  • Core Competency #2. Roles and Responsibilities. The student(s) should be able to use the knowledge of one’s own role and those of other professions to appropriately assess and address the problem or case and advance solutions. 
  • Core Competency #3. Interprofessional Communication. The student(s) should be able to communicate with other students, faculty and professionals in other fields in a responsive and responsible manner that supports a team approach to addressing the problem or case. 
  • Core Competency #4. Teams and Teamwork. The student(s) should be able to apply relationship-building values and the principles of team dynamics to perform effectively in different team roles to plan, deliver, and evaluate possible solutions.

The four core competency domains are overarching competencies expected to be assessed during the experience. However, if justified, the faculty may choose to modify these core competency domains or add additional competencies to meet the needs of the specific experience. All proposals are expected to describe how achievement of defined competencies relating to interprofessional education will be assessed. Assessments may be direct or indirect and involve pre- and/or post-event surveys of participants. For reference, the Interprofessional Collaborative Competencies Attainment Survey (ICCAS) is provided as an example of a validated pre- and post-survey for IPE [4].

GLIDE Funding

If the proposal is approved, the IPE Leadership Committee will provide up to $6,000 (or up to 50% of the total cost) to support the experience. Therefore, the applicant must secure at least 50% of the funds needed for the experience from other sources, and the commitment for these other funds must be secured in writing prior to submitting the GLIDE Proposal. GLIDE funding may be used for transportation, meals, printing, and facility rentals as justified and consistent with UGA policy. GLIDE funding may not be used to support faculty effort.

There is no specific deadline for proposal receipt. Proposals will be considered and evaluated as received. However, if funded, an experience must be completed by the end of the 2019-20 academic year. 

Application Guidelines

Proposals for GLIDE Program funding should be brief – no more than 5-6 pages, not including any letters of support or appendices.

A proposal should include the following: 

  1. An organizing theme that is coherent, current, of intellectual significance, and of national or international importance.
  2. The date of the planned experience.
  3. The UGA academic programs and professions represented and an approximate anticipated number of students who will participate. While these IPE experiences can include academic programs from other institutions, the majority of the academic programs must be UGA programs.
  4. A statement defining whether this experience is required for a specific course in the discipline(s) or whether student participation is voluntary. Having this experience be required for a specific course is highly encouraged.   
  5. A brief description of the case study or experience.  
  6. A brief outline of the agenda for the experience.  
  7. A brief description of the role of faculty and how faculty will be recruited and prepared to mentor students during the IPE experience.
  8. A brief description and justification of the desired competencies and how they will be measured.  
  9. A brief description of how the experience and the assessments may inform new collaborations, integration of IPE into existing courses, and the development of new courses or new degree programs with a focus on interprofessional collaboration.  
  10. A projected budget that identifies the costs that will be covered by GLIDE Program funds and the 50% matching funds from other funding sources.
  11. Letter(s) of support and financial commitment signed or co-signed by dean(s) or deans’ designee(s).

Proposal Submission

Proposals must be approved on the school/college/academic unit level before submission to the IPE Leadership Committee.

Shelley Nuss
Chair, IPE Leadership Committee
Campus Dean, AU/UGA Medical Partnership
E-mail: snuss@uga.edu
Phone: (706) 713-2183

If there are significant changes in the experience or budget after GLIDE Program funding has been granted, the changes must be approved by the IPE Leadership Committee. The award of funds is contingent on the applicant being able to secure and document other needed support. 

Within three months of completion of the experience, a brief report must be submitted to the IPE Leadership Committee. The report will be used to assess the impact of the GLIDE Program and guide future requests for proposals.

Please direct questions concerning the GLIDE Program to Shelley Nuss at snuss@uga.edu or (706) 713-2183.

Proposal Review
Proposals will be evaluated by the IPE Leadership Committee based on adherence to the following qualities:

  • Feasibility
  • Coherence of the organizing theme
  • National or international significance of the theme
  • Originality and timeliness of the theme
  • Thematic interest across professional disciplines
  • Plans to involve students
  • Quality of planned assessments
  • Anticipated benefit to the University, departments, faculty, and students
  • Detailed outline of the experience and logistics
  • Budget description and justification
  • Evidence of matching funds
  • Overall quality of the written proposal
  • Plans to disseminate the findings and/or to build new collaborations, new courses or new degree programs.
  • For review, members of the IPE Leadership Committee with conflicts of interest will be recused.

References

[1]     World Health Organization (WHO). 2010.  Framework for Action on Interprofessional Education & Collaborative Practice.  Geneva, Switzerland: WHO. http://www.who.int/hrh/resources/framework_action/en/. Last accessed on April 17, 2018.

[2]     Interprofessional Education Collaborative. https://www.ipecollaborative.org/. Last accessed on April 17, 2018.

[3]     Interprofessional Education Collaborative.  Core Competencies for Interprofessional Collaborative Practice:  2016 Update. https://www.ipecollaborative.org/. Last accessed on April 17, 2018.

[4]    Interprofessional Collaborative Competency Attainment Survey (ICCAS)

Appendix: Example of a Recently Developed Case Study at UGA

Brief explanation of Case Study: This is a case of an 82 year-old elderly widow with a history of stroke caring for a 54 year-old mentally disabled son with multiple health conditions including obesity, history of schizophrenia, dental issues, and possible cancer.

This IPE experience is a joint effort between the Augusta University College of Nursing at Athens, UGA School of Social Work, UGA College of Pharmacy, and the Augusta University/UGA Medical Partnership. Participation of students in the event is mandatory for a course they are enrolled in their respective academic program. Approximately 300 students will spend a half-day during Fall 2018 at UGA participating in the IPE experience. Groups of 8-10 students and one faculty facilitator will work through the case as they identify the patient’s needs, discuss and reflect on the roles, responsibilities, and contributions of each profession to the health care needs of the patient, and the barriers to interprofessional collaboration in the care of the patient. Students are not expected to solve the case. Both pre- and post-event and competency survey data will be obtained for quality improvement and to assess students’ interprofessional competency. Additional survey tools will be developed to address specific research questions.