Interprofessional collaboration (IPC) is an integral part of high-quality healthcare in outpatient clinics.  Since the fall of 2017, the University of California San Francisco (UCSF) Center for Geriatric Care, a geriatric ambulatory primary care practice, has hosted an interprofessional (IP) learning community under the direction Mackenzie Clark, Pharm D (Pharmacy), Michele Sharma (Medical Social Work), Yvonne Troya, JD (Law), and Pei Chen, MD (Medicine).

In this IP learning community, geriatric fellows, pharmacy residents and students, social work interns, and law students become a cohort. They learn together, see patients together, and utilize IPC to manage a panel of older adults with multimorbidity over an academic year. After two years of the pilot, 83 learners have participated; of these participants, 44 had been to two or more noon conferences. Learners highly rate the collaborative environment, as demonstrated by the Assessment for Collaborative Environment (ACE-15) survey, and have reported increased IP competency in their responses to the Interprofessional Collaborative Competencies Attainment Survey.

At the end of two years, 63 patients had received care from the IP learners. These patients and their families have high confidence in the IP care received and recommend the team to others. Furthermore, patients who received care from the IP learning community take one less medication compared to when they first established care.

Qualitative themes from the learners, as well as the clinical and administrative staff, include recognition of the IPC, comprehensive care, and high satisfaction. The pilot demonstrated the feasibility of implementing workplace IP learning in an academic geriatric primary care setting, as we balance the demands of patient care and education and prepare the future workforce to work collaboratively.