Up a river! Interprofessional education and the Canadian healthcare professional of the future

Abstract

The benefits of an interprofessional approach to patient care are becoming well known and the adoption of these ideas for collaboration by future healthcare professionals will be influenced by positive exposures during pre-licensure education. Although much work has been done, the establishment of interprofessional education in health care programs is still in the developmental phase in many centers. But the need for such education is obvious and urgent. Once these new professionals enter into practice, they will be expected to function as members of interprofessional teams. Therefore, they should be equipped with the skills they will need to function effectively on a team. The future of the healthcare system relies on the education of tomorrow's professionals. When we finally train healthcare professionals to perform as part of a team, “paddling in harmony”, we will be able to steer toward our goal of an efficient, sustainable and safe health care system. If we do not learn to work together, we will continue to go in circles.