Introduction Substance misuse is a critical social and health care issue, and learning how to effectively screen for misuse and perform a brief intervention is useful for all health care professions. As an intercollegiate, interprofessional group, we developed a mechanism for delivering interprofessional education (IPE) using SBIRT (screening, brief intervention, and referral for treatment) as a tool to identify potential substance misuse. Methods A total of 1,255 students from nursing, pharmacy, medicine, physician assistant, social work, dietetics, and occupational therapy programs participated in the training and evaluation of this IPE experience over 2 academic years. The training incorporated asynchronous SBIRT training, in-person student role-plays, and a standardized patient (SP) interaction. Results A significant majority of participants indicated that this IPE experience enhanced their interprofessional skills (91%), was useful for interprofessional development (79%), was relevant to their career (92%), and would benefit their clients (93%). Faculty debrief sessions supported the efficacy of SBIRT as a platform for IPE. Discussion Students believed that utilizing SBIRT as an interprofessional learning experience enhanced their overall educational experience and assisted with developing interprofessional relationships and that team-based care would lead to improved patient outcomes. Faculty found this learning activity to be effective in developing student insight regarding future professional peers and patient interview skill development through role-plays with peers and SPs.

A total of 478 students from 8 disciplines, including social work, participated in an interprofessional education (IPE) Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) project. A mixed methods evaluation measured student performance and perceptions of the potential impact of the training. Over 90% of student participants indicated that the IPE SBIRT experience laid the foundation for developing interprofessional collaborative care relationships and served as a cornerstone to help understand one's respective role as a member of a health care team. Furthermore, students believed the training enhanced their overall educational experience and interprofessional care would lead to improved patient outcomes.