Assessment of Student IPEC Competency Using Observer-Based Evaluation in Didactic Interprofessional Education Activities.

: IPE competency requires multiple developmental experiences across diverse educational environments, including didactic and experiential learning. While literature outlines various IPE activities, gaps exist regarding IPE evaluation strategies with most published tools relying on self-evaluation. This study describes an observer-based assessment of individual student IPEC Competency development for students participating in didactic-IPE activities, and compares observer-based ratings with student self-evaluation ratings. : The IPEC Competency Assessment Tool of Individual Students (I-CATIS) was piloted in an IPE case collaboration activity involving pharmacy and dental students. Faculty were trained on the I-CATIS and evaluated pharmacy students on thirteen predetermined IPEC sub-competencies. Students evaluated their self-efficacy on the selected IPEC sub-competencies, which was compared with I-CATIS results. : Sixty-three pharmacy students across 12 groups were evaluated by six faculty facilitators. Across all observed competencies, 26% of students were rated as "Minimal" and 64% as "Developing" on a competency compared to 10% rated as "Competent." Students' self-evaluation ratings were higher on all sub-competencies compared to observer-evaluation ratings. Facilitators indicated the I-CATIS tool was easy to use, but challenging to complete while concurrently facilitating interprofessional teams. : The I-CATIS enabled observer-based evaluation of individual student's IPEC Competency development in the didactic-IPE activity. I-CATIS can supplement and advance student self-evaluation data and inform didactic IPE curriculum development to ensure graduates are prepared and competent to practice in a collaborative healthcare environment.