About the Interprofessional Honors Distinction
The Interprofessional Education Honors Distinction (IP Honors) is a nationally accredited micro-credential that recognizes your commitment to excellence in team-based competencies and skills.
Upon completion, you will be awarded an IP Honors Certificate and Microcredential (recognition varies by academic program, see your faculty mentor for specific details).
Applying for IP Honors
You can apply for IP Honors any time during your matriculation, but the requirements must be completed and approved by your faculty mentor one month prior to graduation.
UNE College of Osteopathic Medicine students must complete all e-portfolio requirements by May of their third year to assure that the achievement is included in their Medical Student Performance Evaluation (MSPE) letter.
Honors Distinction Requirements
Attend Interprofessional Events
Proof of attendance at three (for undergraduate students) or four (for graduate students) interprofessional events is required.
CAIEP offers multiple events during each semester. Other events may be approved by your faculty mentor as meeting IPE requirements.
Submit Event Reflections
You must write a one-page reflection about each of the events attended and your faculty mentor must review and approve all reflections before you can upload them to your e-portfolio.
Each reflection should address one or more of the CAIEP competencies:
Working with individuals of other professions to maintain a climate of mutual respect and shared values.
Use the knowledge of one’s own role and those of other professions to assess and address the health care needs of patients appropriately and to promote and advance the health of populations.
Communicate with patients, families, communities, and professionals in health and other fields in a responsive and responsible manner that supports a team approach to the promotion and maintenance of health and the prevention and treatment of disease.
Apply relationship-building values and the principles of team dynamics to perform effectively in different team roles to plan, deliver, and evaluate patient/population-centered care and population health programs and policies that are safe, timely, efficient, effective, and equitable.
Complete an Interprofessional Immersion Project
You must complete an interprofessional project under the guidance of a faculty mentor. To qualify as an immersion project, you must actively interact with other students from at least one profession or discipline outside yours.
Examples of immersion projects include participation in the Interprofessional Team Immersion (IPTI), Public Health Problem Solving in Interprofessional Teams (PHIT), a cross-professional Service Learning project (Harm Reduction at the Cumberland County Jail or Maine Department of Corrections), a student-led Interprofessional Mini-Grant project, or another approved project.
If you are not sure if your project qualifies, or if you are interested in interprofessional research, email CAIEP at caiep@une.edu.
Public Presentation of Final Product
You must present the results of your projects in some public form. This can take place at the CAIEP poster session offered at the end of each semester, a local or national conference, or another approved venue.
Complete an Electronic Portfolio
Once the requirements are complete, all the IP Honors material must be included in an e-portfolio (a template for the e-portfolio will be provided).
You will continue to have access to your e-portfolio after graduation so that it can be used as when applying for jobs as evidence of substantial interprofessional experience.
Faculty Mentor Approval
Once it is complete, your faculty mentor formally approves your e-portfolio by emailing caiep@une.edu. To indicate their final approval, you will upload their email into your e-portfolio. After that, send an email to caiep@une.edu stating you have completed these steps. This must take place one month prior to graduation at the latest (or by May of the third year for UNECOM students).
Receive the Distinction
After final approval of your e-portfolio, CAIEP will share your name and achievement with your program for recognition at graduation, and a certificate will be uploaded to your e-portfolio. The link to your micro-credential will be emailed to you from Credly. The micro-credential is digital evidence of your IP Honors achievement that can then be uploaded to LinkedIn or other professional websites.
Download a complete description of the honors distinction and components (PDF)
FAQ
The IP Honors Distinction is designed to recognize student effort that goes above and beyond a department’s curricular norms for interprofessional education (IPE).
Students may pursue the IP Honors Microcredential or their entire academic career, it is awarded upon graduation.
UNE College of Osteopathic Medicine students must complete all e-portfolio requirements by May of their third year to have IP Honors included in their MSPE.
Undergraduate students are required to attend three and graduate students are required to attend four IPE events and complete an immersive interprofessional team project. Each event must be documented by a one-page written reflection, to be uploaded to an IP Honors e-portfolio.
Upon completion of the team project, the student must present their work to an interprofessional audience. Their presentation must then be uploaded to the e-portfolio. Requirements for the distinction may differ between programs. Faculty mentors can confirm the elements that the e-portfolio must include.
You must choose a faculty mentor, either from your program or in another discipline who has agreed to serve in this capacity. Faculty mentors evaluate student reflections, team projects, and final presentations. Each student on the team project will have their own faculty mentor.
You must be in good academic standing and have a proven track record of professionalism, both on campus and in clinical settings, to qualify for IP Honors. Communication with a faculty mentor is key to the success and standards of this distinction.
CAIEP provides online tools to allow programs to track and manage the application process and e-portfolio. CAIEP provides the certificate and micro-credential one month before graduation.
CAIEP offers a poster session each semester for team projects to be presented. You may also select another venue to present your work to the public but you must receive prior approval from CAIEP.
You must identify a faculty mentor and complete an application form.
- The application form is completed by the student. The faculty mentor indicates their willingness to serve as mentor emailing their intention to caiep@une.edu.
- The faculty mentor supports the student through the distinction process.
- Undergraduate students are required to attend three (3), and graduate students are required to attend four (4), IP events. Faculty mentors can confirm any program specific elements that the e-portfolio must include.
- Students must write a one-page reflection for each event. It is expected that each reflection will address at least one competency.
- When the application form is complete, CAIEP provides a link to the e-portfolio template and instructions for completing the e-portfolio. It is the student’s responsibility to upload their reflections to the e-portfolio and share it with their faculty mentor and cece@une.edu.
- Students must participate in an interprofessional team project offered by CAIEP, or another that is authorized by CAIEP staff.
- Students must present their project to an interprofessional audience such as the CAIEP poster session at the end of each fall and spring semester.
- When the e-portfolio is complete, the student must share the link with their mentor and email it to caiep@une.edu. Once completed, the e-portfolio must receive final approval from the faculty mentor in the form of an email to caipe@une.edu.
- Some programs will keep a copy of the application form in the student’s file.
- No later than one month prior to graduation, faculty mentors will indicate to CAIEP via email that the student is eligible to receive — and deserving of — the distinction. At this time, CAIEP will upload the certificate to the e-portfolio and issue the micro-credential. You can then attach it digitally to LinkedIn, a website, a resume, etc.
Any faculty member at the University of New England can serve as your faculty mentor.
If IPTI (or other immersive IP experience) is being used to complete your Interprofessional Team Project component of the IP Honors, you cannot also write one of your four reflections on that experience. The four reflections and the Interprofessional Team Project are two separate components of IP Honors.
CAIEP staff are happy to help you find an interprofessional team project. Several opportunities exist, including (but not limited to) IPTI, service learning projects, AHEC, or a student-led initiative like an IP Mini-grant.
If you want to create your own project, check in with CAIEP by emailing caipe@une.edu to make sure that all requirements have been met.
Yes, your faculty mentor must approve both your application and four reflections, as well as your completed e-portfolio.