How is the IPC Pain Week Run?
A COLLECTIVE FRAMEWORK
Curriculum Design and Development
The success of the IPC Pain Week centers on effective collaboration between various faculties, the dedicated IPC committee, and the University of Toronto Centre for the Study of Pain (UTCSP). This collective effort ensures a seamless and well-coordinated curriculum.
Diverse Educational Strategies
The curriculum incorporates various educational strategies to cater to diverse learning styles. This includes traditional lectures, interactive presentations, small group facilitated sessions, and multimedia learning tools.
Each strategy is carefully chosen to enhance understanding and practical application of pain management principles.
Development of the Core Curriculum
After establishing our learning objectives, we collaboratively designed the core UTCSP IPC Pain Week curriculum. This foundational curriculum outlines the essential content areas, learning outcomes, and evaluation methods. It’s a comprehensive framework that guides the entire educational journey of IPC.
HOW IT WORKS
Core Roles and Responsibilities of IPC Pain Week
This section outlines the roles needed for implementing and operating IPC Pain Week, detailing how other educational institutions can implement these principles and run the program, and how the program is structured and managed at the University of Toronto.
Developing the Framework from Scratch
For institutions looking to replicate the IPC Pain Week model, it starts with strategic discussions at the education leadership level. This involves faculty deans examining existing health science curriculums to identify the optimal integration point for pain education. Securing faculty leadership buy-in is crucial for the successful implementation of the curriculum.
At the University of Toronto, extensive curriculum mapping was conducted to ascertain the most appropriate student level in each faculty for this curriculum. This ensured that students could engage effectively in the IPC at designated times annually.
Recommended Roles for a Successful Program
Leadership
Operational, educational, and content expertise leadership.
Faculty Representation
Acts as a liaison between faculty and students and assume the role of teaching profession-specific curriculum.
Clinical Expertise
Expertise that can support the updates of program content and delivery.
Evaluative Expertise
Evaluative expertise to support program evaluation and improvement.
University of Toronto’s Organizational Structure
Let’s look at the unique organizational model employed by the University of Toronto for IPC Pain Week, highlighting the specific elements that contribute to its effective functioning.
IPC Program Lead or Education Coordinator
The IPC Education Coordinator is vital in supporting the IPC Committee and Working Groups, ensuring smooth coordination and execution of the IPC Pain Week.
The Education Coordinator’s role is integral to the successful operation of IPC Pain Week, ensuring that the program’s logistical, administrative, and communication aspects are handled efficiently and effectively.
The Education Coordinator is responsible for:
Coordinating and moderating meetings
Implementing process improvements
Handling room bookings for in-person sessions
Technical coordination and program administration, including managing student lists, instructions, grouping, volunteer recruitment, and utilizing the Quercus site for educational purposes.
IPC Committee
The Steering Committee consists of 15-20 members, representing each working group, the Centre for Interprofessional Education, a student representative, and an individual with lived experience. Additional members including clinicians, scientists, volunteers, and the Centre for Advancing Collaborative Healthcare Education (CACHE), ensure diverse faculty lead representation.
Members are selected for their expertise in pain and interprofessional education, with inputs from faculty leadership.
Responsibilities of the IPC Committee include:
Overseeing content development
Assisting working groups
Managing deadlines
Updating the UTCSP Co-Directors
Ensuring compliance with university guidelines
IPC Committee Working Groups
Each working group, comprising of 3-5 members, focuses on specific curriculum areas like pain mechanisms, opioid education, speaker coordination, case development, facilitation, and evaluation.
The IPC Committee Working Groups are responsible for:
Content review
Implementing revisions
Maintaining communication with the IPC Committee
Disseminate the requests for participation in the IPC (facilitators, speakers, etc.)
Supporting curriculum delivery
Learn more about our IPC Pain Week Educational Resources!
IPC Program Lead or Education Coordinator
The IPC Education Coordinator is vital in supporting the IPC Committee and Working Groups, ensuring smooth coordination and execution of the IPC Pain Week.
The Education Coordinator’s role is integral to the successful operation of IPC Pain Week, ensuring that the program’s logistical, administrative, and communication aspects are handled efficiently and effectively.
The Education Coordinator is responsible for:
Coordinating and moderating meetings
Implementing process improvements
Handling room bookings for in-person sessions
Technical coordination and program administration, including managing student lists, instructions, grouping, volunteer recruitment, and utilizing the Quercus site for educational purposes.
IPC Committee
The Steering Committee consists of 15-20 members, representing each working group, the Centre for Interprofessional Education, a student representative, and an individual with lived experience. Additional members including clinicians, scientists, volunteers, and the Centre for Advancing Collaborative Healthcare Education (CACHE), ensure diverse faculty lead representation.
Members are selected for their expertise in pain and interprofessional education, with inputs from faculty leadership.
Responsibilities of the IPC Committee include:
Overseeing content development
Assisting working groups
Managing deadlines
Updating the UTCSP Co-Directors
Ensuring compliance with university guidelines
IPC Committee Working Groups
Each working group, comprising of 3-5 members, focuses on specific curriculum areas like pain mechanisms, opioid education, speaker coordination, case development, facilitation, and evaluation.
The IPC Committee Working Groups are responsible for:
Content review
Implementing revisions
Maintaining communication with the IPC Committee
Disseminate the requests for participation in the IPC (facilitators, speakers, etc.)
Supporting curriculum delivery
Learn more about our IPC Pain Week Educational Resources!
PAIN WEEK OPERATIONS
Efficient Planning and Execution
Pain Week’s operations are strategically organized for optimal efficiency and effectiveness, focusing on key areas of governance, planning, and execution.
Format and Schedule of IPC Committee Meetings
The UTCSP-IPC Committee gathers up to six times yearly, aligning with the academic calendar for fall, winter, and post-event reflection. This structure ensures that each stage of the IPC Pain Week program is meticulously planned, focusing on various aspects from initial conceptualization to post-event analysis.
LATE AUGUST/SEPTEMBER
Kick-off Meeting
Key topics include setting the theme, finalizing the schedule, selecting speakers, defining working group members, and discussing Terms of Reference and Conflict of Interest.
NOVEMBER
First Planning Meeting
Focus on updates from the working groups.
JANUARY
Second Planning Meeting
Concentrate on logistical updates like room bookings, technology requirements, facilitator numbers, training needs, and submissions for ethics review board approval.
FEBRUARY
Final Preparation Meeting
Final checks on the readiness of the Quercus platform and confirmation of facilitator numbers.
EARLY APRIL
Post-IPC Meeting
Evaluation and feedback session to debrief and gather insights for future improvements.
LATE AUGUST/SEPTEMBER
Kick-off Meeting
Key topics include setting the theme, finalizing the schedule, selecting speakers, defining working group members, and discussing Terms of Reference and Conflict of Interest.
NOVEMBER
First Planning Meeting
Focus on updates from the working groups.
JANUARY
Second Planning Meeting
Concentrate on logistical updates like room bookings, technology requirements, facilitator numbers, training needs, and submissions for ethics review board approval.
FEBRUARY
Final Preparation Meeting
Final checks on the readiness of the Quercus platform and confirmation of facilitator numbers.
EARLY APRIL
Post-IPC Meeting
Evaluation and feedback session to debrief and gather insights for future improvements.
Working Group Meetings
Working Group Meetings are fundamental in shaping and refining the Interfaculty Pain Curriculum. These meetings are integral for driving content review, implementing necessary revisions, and ensuring that timelines are met for curriculum components.
Meet approximately four times a year
These sessions are crucial for decision-making and discussions. Interactions continue via email for ongoing collaboration.
Pre-Committee Meeting Sessions
Scheduled before the main committee meetings to facilitate efficient updates and coordination.
Are you curious about what the IPC Pain Week curriculum looks like?
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Adopt the University of Toronto’s IPC Pain Week curriculum, crafted for educational institutions to provide an in-depth, interprofessional pain management education. Contact us today to learn how to bring this innovative program to your students.
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Got Questions? We've Got Answers!
The intellectual property of the IPC belongs to the University of Toronto’s Centre for the Study of Pain (UTCSP).
While we strongly suggest there are synergistic benefits to the curriculum as a whole, please contact us to discuss implementing components of the IPC Pain Week curriculum in your unique educational setting.
The intellectual property belongs to the UTCSP but it is our goal to advance pain education globally. Please contact us for more information.
You can email us at utcsp@utoronto.ca.
We have run the IPC Pain Week program in hybrid, virtual and in-person formats.