Implementation of an Interprofessional Continuing Education Program

Introduction: Multiple healthcare providers (HCPs) are represented in an ICU/healthcare system with each requiring specialized education and continuing education (CE) requirements to maintain licensure. Educational opportunities abound in these institutions but achieving accreditation to provide CE for each profession can be prohibitive. Interprofessional continuing education (IPCE) is a multidisciplinary joint accreditation avenue to provide CE to physicians, nurses, pharmacists, physician associates, and others. We report our experience developing an IPCE program.


Methods: It was identified that the organization was providing IPCE for Advance Practice Providers (APPs) and physician CE. Joint accreditation costs $22,000 for initial accreditation and $25,500 for 210 hours of CE or less. APCE costs $6,750 for initial accreditation and $3600 for 0.1-99 hours of CE. An opportunity to provide IPCE with little to no cost while providing pharmacology related CE to HCPs across the 13-hospital system was identified. A committee was developed to implement and vet the IPCE. A system wide IPCE event was held. Attendees were required to pass a post-test and complete a survey to receive credit. Survey responses were deidentified. Descriptive statistics are reported.


Results: The first IPCE event was held in June of 2025 with approximately 80 attendees. A video link was sent to HCPs that were unable to attend. 63 participants completed the post-test with 100% successful completion. 47 participants claimed IPCE and provided feedback. Most respondents were pharmacists and pharmacy technicians. Respondents were overwhelmingly positive with the experience with all recommending (32%) or strongly recommending (68%) the experience to others. The self-reported ability to apply the content improved from 38% prior to the IPCE to 74% after. The implementation of the CE program did not result in any additional cost to provide IPCE whereas applying for and providing APCE for the same education would have cost $10,350. Efforts are underway to broaden topics, attendees, and healthcare professions attending.


Conclusions: Organizations may utilize Joint Accreditation to provide learning opportunities across a broad spectrum of HCPs while curtailing costs. Use was well received amongst a group of HCPs.