All-Ireland Interprofessional Healthcare Challenge 2024
The 2024 AIPEC Competition is taking place on Friday 8th March, hosted by Queens University Belfast. Local teams of students from University of Limerick will compete at the internal heat in UL on 27th February 2024 to secure the final place to represent UL in the national competition.
Congratulations to all the University teams that competed in the 2023 All-Ireland Interprofessional Healthcare Challenge (AIPEC) on Friday the 24th of March in NUI Galway.
The All-Ireland Interprofessional Healthcare Challenge is an interdisciplinary case-based learning opportunity for students from across healthcare disciplines.
Our very own University of Limerick joined University College Cork, University College Dublin, NUI Galway, Trinity College Dublin, Queens University Belfast (QUB), Ulster University Coleraine and the Royal College of Surgeons Ireland and the standard of the entries were to the highest of standards.
Last years winner was University College Dublin and we extend a warm of congratulation to all of their students involved.
University of Limerick's team came fourth in the 2023 competition and we acknowledge all of their hard-work and engagement.
What is the All-Ireland Interprofessional Healthcare Challenge (AIPEC)?
The best health outcomes for the many and increasing number of people with complex or chronic healthcare needs often depends on effective teamwork and collaboration between various healthcare professionals with different skills and knowledge. Interprofessional education is recognised as a global priority (WHO 2010) and interprofessional teamwork is at the core of the Irish health service initiative Sláintecare. The All-Ireland Interprofessional Healthcare Challenge (AIPEC) is an interdisciplinary case-based learning opportunity for students from across healthcare disciplines. Engagement in the AIPEC prepares students to work in an interprofessional environment, developing skills in communication, teamwork, collaboration and problem solving.
The AIPEC aims to develop this important capability prior to graduation in a way that is transformative, authentic, and fun.
History of the All-Ireland Interprofessional Healthcare Challenge (AIPEC)
Pioneered by academics from the University of British Columbia over 25 years ago, the AIPEC was brought to Australia and developed by an interprofessional team of Queensland academics under the name of HealthFusion. The University of Limerick was the first university in Ireland to host a AIPEC with its pilot event in 2017. Under the leadership of students and staff at the University of Limerick the Irish AIPEC has gone from strength to strength progressing from a UL-only competition Five years ago to a national event with students from NUIG, TCD and UCC competing.
2023 Internal Competition - University of Limerick
The All-Ireland Interprofessional Healthcare Challenge, internal competition took place on Friday the 10th of March at University of Limerick. Two multidisciplinary teams battled it out and the winning team will take part in the national competition at NUI Galway on 24th March 2023.
All-Ireland Interprofessional Healthcare Challenge 2022
The All-Ireland Interprofessional Healthcare Challenge was held on 23rd March, with all seven Universities in Ireland competing for the first time. Students from UL, UCC, UCD, TCD, RCSI, NUIG and QUB all competed in the competition whereby they present an interprofessional approach to managing a patient with a variety of clinical and social needs.
University of Limerick was the only University to hold internal heats, with exceptional Interprofessionalism and teamwork displayed. The project team of Dr Anne Griffin (Dietetics & Human Nutrition), Ms Marie O’Donnell (Physiotherapy) and Ms Sylvia Murphy-Tighe (Nursing & Midwifery), Dr Jennifer McMahon (Psychology), Miriam McCarthy (HSA) and health sciences students – Sarah O’Keeffe, Pei-Yin Liao and Maeve Scanlon, supported the student teams and managed the competition locally. We were delighted to have Dr Elaine Shanahan, Medical Consultant, Ms Margaret Costello, Mid-West Community Healthcare and Ms Aoife Synnott, Physiotherapy UHL judge the internal heats.
The winning team went on to represent University of Limerick in the national final, which was won by Queens University Belfast. Among the judging panel in the national competition was Ms Joanne Mannion, Patient Advocacy & Liaison Services Manager, UHL.