LINC Programs & Projects
The LINC organizational model is designed to facilitate strategic alignment of key contributors who, through interprofessional collaboration, are positioned to bring innovative interprofessional education (IPE) ideas to life. In other words, LINC is an incubator that seeks to cultivate IPE knowledge and skills of faculty, staff and students and increase opportunities for student IPE experiences. While many creative ideas to advance IPE at UT Health San Antonio have emerged through LINC, a handful have been selected to move beyond concept into development and implementation. The list below represents LINC programs and projects that we count as early successes.
LINC Longitudinal IPE Program
Students complete the LINC Longitudinal IPE Program in interprofessional groups of 3-5. Interactivity is emphasized as student groups work through virtual instruction, including interprofessional socialization activities, mini-lectures, illustrated case studies, video case studies, and interprofessional discussions rooted in problem-based learning.
The LINC Common IPE Experience
The LINC Common IPE Experience is the first IPE activity in the LINC Longitudinal IPE Program. Launched in Fall 2020 and completed by over 4,000 students to date, the purpose of this didactic, university-wide IPE activity is threefold: (1) introduce students to IPE at UT Health San Antonio using the IPEC framework; (2) facilitate interprofessional socialization; and (3) prepare students for IPE activities they will experience as part of program-specific IPE plans. Students complete this IPE activity at the beginning of their educational program.
The LINC Simulation IPE Experience
The LINC Simulation IPE Experience is the second IPE activity in the LINC Longitudinal IPE Program. Launched in spring 2023 and completed by over 1,800 students to date, the purpose of this university-wide IPE activity is threefold: (1) facilitate interprofessional socialization; (2) expand upon interprofessional skills and competencies introduced in the LINC Common IPE Experience; and (3) prepare students for IPE activities they will experience in clinical learning environments. Students complete this IPE activity at/near the middle of their educational program.
The LINC Clinical IPE Experience
The LINC Clinical IPE Experience serves as the capstone to the LINC Longitudinal IPE Program. Launched in Spring 2024 and completed by over 750 students, the purpose of this university-wide IPE activity is three-fold: (1) facilitate interprofessional socialization; (2) empower students to evaluate interprofessional clinical learning environments; and (3) prepare students to navigate real-world interprofessional collaborative practice (IPCP) settings. Students complete this IPE activity at/near the end of their educational program.
LINC Seed Grant Program
The LINC Faculty & Staff Development Program invites applications from UT Health San Antonio faculty and staff requesting financial support for pilot projects designed to advance IPE. Support ranging from $500 to $5000 is available through the program for projects demonstrating potential in terms of future scalability, sustainability, extramural support and integration into programs’ curricula. Pilot projects must involve contributors from at least two different UT Health San Antonio schools and be designed to develop competencies within learners that target the Interprofessional Education Collaborative (IPEC) framework. In addition to advancing an innovative IPE activity, funded projects must formally investigate effectiveness through a robust assessment of hypotheses and desired outcomes. A well-defined plan to disseminate findings and use pilot data to seek extramural funding is expected. To date, $125,456 has been awarded for 27 projects involving 96 investigators and collaborators.
LINC Interprofessional Case Competition
During the LINC Interprofessional Case Competition, teams of 3-4 students representing two or more educational programs from two or more schools at UT Health San Antonio apply IPE knowledge and skills to develop innovative solutions to healthcare problems throughout Texas. Submissions are scored by a faculty panel of judges and the top scoring teams receive recognition and prize money. For questions about past and/or upcoming competitions, please contact Casey Redish, LINC Project Coordinator, at redish@uthscsa.edu.
LINC Interprofessional Education Plans
To integrate IPE into programs’ curricula, and with support from UT Health San Antonio’s Vice President for Academic, Faculty & Student Affairs (VP AFSA) and Deans Council, the LINC Academic Affairs Council spearheads the annual development, approval and study of 12 IPE Plans in accordance with national consensus guidelines from the Health Professions Accreditors Collaborative. IPE Plans include universal elements shared by all students at UT Health San Antonio, such as foundational learning experiences and student learning outcomes measures, as well as unique elements customized to meet targeted needs identified within specific schools/programs.
LINC Core IPE Measurement Plan
The LINC Core IPE Measurement Plan provides the foundation for all IPE-focused student learning outcomes measurement at UT Health San Antonio. Our approach consists of four tools administered at three timepoints in a student’s academic career. In accordance with the Institute of Medicine’s Interprofessional Learning Continuum Model, these valid and reliable tools measure changes in students’ reactions, attitudes/perceptions, skills and behavior related to IPE and teamwork.
LINC IPE Activity Repository
The LINC IPE Activity Repository is a searchable catalogue of all IPE activities offered at UT Health San Antonio. Activities are categorized into two IPE types: curricular (e.g., credit-bearing courses, clerkships) and co-curricular (volunteer experiences enhancing learning/professional development; and five IPE sub-types: classroom (in-person and online), simulation (in-person and online), clinical (practical experiences in patient care settings), community (practical experiences without direct patient care), and blended (meet criteria for more than one IPE sub-type). Faculty or staff leaders of IPE activities at UT Health San Antonio that are not represented in the repository are encouraged to contact Casey Redish, LINC Project Coordinator (redish@uthscsa.edu) for information and assistance facilitating their inclusion.
Community of LINC Scholars
The Community of LINC Scholars meets bi-monthly to facilitate interaction, engagement and collaboration across LINC Councils. Our most recent Community of LINC Scholars event took place Friday, May 17, from 12:00-1:00 pm in the ALTC. In addition to celebrating recent LINC publications in the American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education, the Texas Journal of Health-System Pharmacy, the Journal of Interprofessional Education & Practice, and the journal Health, Interprofessional Practice & Education, attendees also completed a group exercise that will contribute to LINC’s 5-year goal-planning process.
LINC Interprofessional Student Social Series
The LINC Interprofessional Student Social Series, developed and hosted by the LINC Student Council, fosters unity among students from all schools at UT Health San Antonio. This series launched in academic year 2023-2024 with three events promoting interprofessional student exchange and collaboration outside the classroom, creating opportunities for students to learn together while socializing and networking.