Welcome to the 2024 All-Ireland Interprofessional Healthcare Challenge for Students

The best health outcomes for patients with complex or chronic healthcare needs often depend on effective teamwork and collaboration between various healthcare professionals with different skills and knowledge. The All-Ireland Interprofessional Healthcare Challenge (AIPEC) aims to develop this important skillset prior to graduation, in a way that is transformative, authentic, and fun!

AIPEC is an interuniversity educational competition that provides an opportunity for students from all health disciplines to work collaboratively with interdisciplinary colleagues to meet a challenge set around complex care issues. .

The  event  has  representation  from  competing  teams  including  Queen’s  University  Belfast, Royal College of Surgeons Ireland, Trinity College  Dublin,  Ulster  University,  University  College Cork, University College Dublin, University of Galway and University of Limerick.

In 2024, the AIPEC event will be hosted by Queen’s University Belfast. (opens in a new window)Google form link to sign up.

APPLY BEFORE 22ND JANUARY 2024!

Why participate?

• Meet and work with students from other health disciplines and
• Represent your profession and your university/organisation on a national
• Improve your communication, teamwork, and clinical
• Expand your professional
• Form lasting networks with a cohort of future leaders in health care, practitioners and potential
• Enjoy the prestige of participating in a national interprofessional education (IPE)
• Boost your CV and stand out from the crowd in the job
• Receive a Certificate of
• Win prizes and loads of
• Last, but not least…..it’s FUN!

What is involved?

Students work in interprofessional teams of between three and eight. Teams are tasked with preparing a patient management plan lasting no more than eight minutes in response to a complex case study, which they will present at the live event. A minimum of 30 secs of the presentation must include the students’ reflection on their own inter-professional learning journey. A time bell will notify students when they are approaching the final minute of their presentation.

Students may be juggling multiple commitments, so all meetings are arranged at the discretion of each individual team. Past students involved in the challenge have indicated that an average of eight to ten hours was spent in preparation of the management plan. This included team meetings, home preparation and independent research.

Teams may communicate by any means, including digital platforms, in planning for this. It is really up to your team, and what is best for everyone.

On Friday 8th March 2024, student teams will come together at Queen’s University Belfast for an in- person event including guest speakers and live presentations. Travel costs will be covered by the respective Universities (please liaise with your local contact about this). You will present your response to the case study to an audience, including a panel of judges, and then teams will prepare an answer to an extension question designed to test each team on a number of criteria. This question will be asked live, and teams will have a few minutes to deliberate and 3 mins to deliver their response. Teams cannot exceed this time and will be notified when 30secs remaining.

The case presented is intentionally detailed to allow input of the multi-disciplinary team. The judging panel will be aware that it is not possible to cover all aspects within the eight minutes available. It will be up to each team to prioritise the care issues that they wish to discuss in the time available.

Each university will have different disciplines that make up their team, and not all disciplines will be taught at each of the universities. Teams can expand the case study to allow each of the professions represented on their team to have an input to the case. There is no pre-determined aspect that must be covered.

The team that displays the greatest mastery of teamwork and interprofessional working is declared the winner. The prize is awarded at the conclusion of the event.

Conditions of Entry

All students wishing to participate in the AIPEC must be enrolled in a health science programme or degree in the same calendar year as the competition they wish to participate in. Students must be pre-registration. Students that have graduated before the current year and have entered full time employment are not eligible to compete on behalf of that professional discipline. Students who have previously represented their university in the AIPEC competition are not eligible to compete.

Commitments Associated with Participation

By registering for the AIPEC, students commit to:

• Working within an interprofessional team to develop an eight-minute presentation of a management plan in response to the case study
• Email your presentation to (opens in a new window)aipec@qub.ac.uk before the deadline of 9am on Monday 4^th March 2024.
• Attending the AIPEC Event Day on Friday 8th March 2024 in person at Queen’s University Belfast. The event will be live streamed to colleagues and students in the participating universities.