SCU’s Summer IPE Week Brings Together Over 200 Students from Eight Different Academic Programs

A record-breaking week of immersive, team-based learning prepares future healthcare professionals to lead in integrative, whole-person care.

From July 28, 2025, to August 1, 2025, the SCU Center for Interprofessional Education hosted Summer IPE Week on campus. The week brought together more than 200 students for hands-on learning that strengthened teamwork, communication, and whole-person care across health disciplines.

Students from eight programs worked side by side:

• Ayurveda
• Acupuncture and Chinese Herbal Medicine
• Chiropractic
• Occupational Therapy
• Physician Assistant Studies
• Accelerated Sciences
• Bachelor of Science in Health Sciences
• Master of Science in Medical Science

Faculty designed activities that mirrored real clinical settings, so students could practice skills they will use with patients and teams.

“IPE at SCU is where integrative, whole health comes to life,” said Karina Madrigal, EdD, MA, Dean of Interprofessional Education. “Our model is bold, inclusive, and transformative—bringing together students from both complementary and conventional medicine.” She noted that interprofessional education is an institutionalized system embedded across more than 15 academic programs. Students learn with, from, and about one another, and they graduate ready to practice in team-based care settings. SCU’s model blends Eastern and Western care traditions to match how modern health systems operate and to prepare graduates to lead in integrative care.

Students rotated through team scenarios that required clear roles, shared decision-making, and direct communication with patients and caregivers. Sessions focused on three high-impact skills:

• Identifying system failures and contributing to a culture of safety and continuous quality improvement
• Handing off patients in a structured way to support safe care transitions
• Speaking with patients, families, and the care team in plain language to align on goals

These scenarios matched the pace and pressure of real practice, so teams could learn, adjust, and improve in the moment. Among the highlights was SCU’s signature care coordination simulation, which brought multiple disciplines together to co-manage complex cases in real time.

Pre- and post-assessments showed gains across IPEC core competencies: Values and Ethics, Roles and Responsibilities, Interprofessional Communication, and Teams/Teamwork. The results also aligned with SCU’s “Learning in Action” measure, which tracks applied skills. “The data confirm that our model not only changes what students know—it changes how they think and work,” said Madrigal.

Skills from IPE Week translate directly to clinics and community sites. Students practiced structured handovers that reduce errors. They clarified the scope and responsibility so teams can respond faster. They used shared care plans that keep the patient and family at the center. As a result, students left not only with greater confidence, but with a strengthened ability to work across disciplines — ready to lead and collaborate as part of interprofessional teams united by a shared goal: advancing integrative, whole-person health and improving outcomes for the patients and communities they serve.

Collaboration starts early at SCU. Students experience interprofessional learning from their first year, so teamwork becomes second nature. By the time they enter clinical placements, they already know how to listen across disciplines and keep care plans aligned with patient goals.

This year’s Summer IPE Week set a new bar for participation and impact. It showed how SCU’s interprofessional model helps students grow as clinicians and as teammates. It also showed how a campus community can come together around a shared aim: to deliver whole-person care for every patient in every setting.

Learn more about Interprofessional Education at SCU and how our programs prepare students for team-based practice.