WCHP curriculum for undergraduate health professions highlighted in Robert Wood Johnson Foundation newsletter

The November 2011 issue of Charting Nursing's Future, a newsletter of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, highlighted UNE's common undergraduate curriculum which it implemented for several of its health professions programs. The story was part of a focus on 'The Potential of Interprofessional Collaborative Care to Improve Safety and Quality.'

UNE's common curriculum includes the UNE Westbrook College of Health Professions programs in nursing, dental hygiene, athletic training, applied exercise science, and health, wellness, and occupational studies. This curriculum includes shared learning throughout the basic science prerequisites and in four new courses aimed at imparting interprofessional competencies, which align with the Core Competencies for Interprofessional Collaborative Practice. Students participate in the common curriculum for two years before moving on to their professional programs. Once engaged in discipline-specific study, students apply their interprofessional skills during clinical site placements as well as through participation in simulations, workshops, and clinical grand rounds. Read the story on page 6 of the newsletter.

About the University of New England

The University of New England is Maine’s largest independent university, with two beautiful coastal campuses in Maine, a one-of-a-kind study abroad campus in Tangier, Morocco, and an array of flexible, accredited online degrees. In an uncommonly welcoming and supportive community, we offer hands-on learning, empowering students to make a positive impact in a world full of challenges. The state’s top provider of health professionals, we are home to Maine’s only medical college, Maine’s only dental college, a variety of other interprofessionally aligned health care degree programs, as well as nationally recognized programs for marine science degrees, natural and social sciences degrees, arts and humanities degrees, and business degrees.