Developing Interprofessional Competence Through a Scaffolded Undergraduate Honors Course

BACKGROUND: Interprofessional education is essential for preparing health professions students for collaborative, team-based care, yet structured undergraduate opportunities, particularly within honors curricula, remain limited. METHOD: This article describes the development and implementation of an undergraduate honors course grounded in the Interprofessional Education Collaborative (IPEC) Core Competencies, constructivist learning theory, and scaffolded, student-centered pedagogy. Students from nursing, social work, and health sciences completed a portfolio-based course emphasizing research synthesis, reflection, and collaborative inquiry. RESULTS: Portfolios and student feedback demonstrated engagement with interprofessional concepts, growth in research literacy, and early development of professional identity and collaborative awareness. The course was feasible to implement across disciplines and supported progressive skill development. CONCLUSION: A scaffolded, portfolio-based honors course can support foundational interprofessional competency development and prepare students for experiential, team-based learning. This model offers a transferable approach for integrating interprofessional education into undergraduate health professions education.