Navigating Higher Education Pre–, During, and Post–COVID-19: Relating Practices to the Interprofessional Education Collaborative Pillars

Background: Variability in interprofessional education (IPE) has been a documented challenge in health care education prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic increased the struggle to implement profession-specific education and IPE, thus requiring shifts in higher education instruction. Purpose: This study aimed to explore pedagogical shifts focal to the training and application of the Interprofessional Education Collaborative (IPEC) competencies surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic. Method: Qualitative data collection and analysis were employed. Thirty-five months of narrative data collection from 12 National Academies of Practice Speech-Language Pathology Academy subcommittee members followed by online focus groups were employed. The narrative entries were focal to observed or performed IPEC behaviors during the COVID-19 pandemic. Analyses utilized sequential coding and interrater agreement followed by an external (non–National Academies of Practice Academy members) interprofessional panel review. Results: Technology, supervision, and accommodations/psychological state were of focus based on the recorded behaviors and events. The IPEC 2016 and 2023 competencies were specifically noted within these three areas. While additional behaviors and events were recorded, comparatively, they were of less focus. Conclusions: IPEC-based pedagogical shifts were identified. Values and Ethics subcompetencies were higher in frequency in both the 2016 and 2023 IPEC versions. Roles and Responsibilities, Communication, and Teams and Teamwork were relatively equal in representation. Future research may be designed to determine how educators increased their communications and collaborations with other health care and non–health care professions.