Interprofessional Collaboration Competencies
University of St. Thomas Interprofessional Center for Counseling and Legal Services
(Adapted directly from competencies developed by the Interprofessional Education Collaborative1 and the Canadian Interprofessional Health Collaborative2)
Domain I. Values and Ethics: Work with individuals of other professions to maintain a climate of mutual respect and shared values.
1. Place the interests of clients and populations at the center of interprofessional service delivery.
2. Embrace the cultural diversity and individual differences that characterize clients and populations with whom we work.
3. Respect the unique cultures, values, roles/responsibilities, and expertise of other professions.
4. Manage ethical dilemmas specific to interprofessional client/population centered situations, while maintaining competence in one’s own professional ethics appropriate to scope of practice.
Domain II. Roles and Responsibilities- Use the knowledge of one’s own role and those of other professions to appropriately assess and address the service needs of the clients and populations served.
1. Identify and clarify collaborative partners’ roles and responsibilities in executing components of case plans, treatment plans, interventions or community-based plans.
2. Recognize one’s own limitations in skills, knowledge, and abilities.
Domain III. Interprofessional Communication - Communicate with clients, families, communities, and other professionals in a responsive and responsible manner that supports a team approach to the provision of services.
1. Choose effective communication tools and techniques, including communication technologies and active listening, to facilitate discussions and interactions that enhance team function.
2. Communicate clearly with clients, families, and interprofessional collaborators, avoiding discipline-specific terminology when possible.
3. Express one’s knowledge and opinions to collaborative partners involved in client and community service with confidence, clarity, and respect, working to ensure common understanding of information and service provision decisions.
4. Give timely, sensitive, instructive feedback to others about their performance, responding respectfully as a collaborative partner to feedback from others.
Domain IV. Collaboration and Teamwork -Build teams and relationships based on appropriate roles in order to plan and deliver services.
1. Use the full scope of knowledge, skills, and abilities of available professionals and associated support staff to provide services that are timely, efficient, and effective.
2. Share accountability with other professions, clients, and communities for outcomes relevant to service provision.
3. Reflect on how each partner’s uniqueness, including experience level, expertise, culture, power, and hierarchy within the interprofessional collaboration, contributes to effective communication, conflict resolution, and positive interprofessional working relationships.
Domain V. Conflict Management: Build an environment of trust in which disagreements and conflict can be addressed directly and productively.
1. Establish a safe environment in which to express diverse opinions using respectful language appropriate for a given difficult situation, crucial conversation, or interprofessional conflict.
2. Engage self and others in constructively managing disagreements about values, roles, goals, and actions that arise among professionals and with clients and families, including analyzing the causes of conflict.
Revised April 2015.
1First four domains based on Core Competencies for Interprofessional Collaborative Practice, http://www.aacn.nche.edu/education-resources/ipecreport.pdf (2011).
2Conflict management domain based on A National Interprofessional Competency Framework,http://www.cihc.ca/files/CIHC_IPCompetencies_Feb1210r.pdf (2010).