Abstract
The purpose of this qualitative case study was to achieve an in-depth understanding of anorganizational partnership, from its inception to implementation, that has contributed to
formation of a high-quality interprofessional primary care clinic model within a larger
academic health system. The study also sought to detail adaptive leadership behaviors
that fostered the transition from co-location to collaboration among frontline leaders
within an academic healthcare workforce. Nineteen participants were selected through
purposive and snowball sampling to represent the study site’s academic institution, health
system, and patient-advocacy committee. In semi-structured reflective interviews and
focus groups, these informants shared their perceived roles, responsibilities, and
experiences. Documents and artifacts were also reviewed. Analysis and triangulation of
revealed four major themes: Leadership, Shared Mission, a Culture of Collaboration, and
the Quadruple Aim in the Clinical Learning Environment. The findings resulted in an
evidence-informed solution for sustainable and scalable interprofessional education and
collaborative practice infrastructure. The solution includes the primary recommendations
of creating Interprofessional Clinical Faculty and an Interprofessional Workforce and
Workplace Training Curriculum. The findings imply organizational infrastructure
supports workplace learning, leading to system-wide innovation in partnership within
academic and health systems to meet the shared mission of advancing an
interprofessional collaborative academic medical center model.
Keywords: organizational partnerships, clinical learning environment,
interprofessional education and collaborative practice (IPECP)