Document Type
Poster
Publication Date
7-14-2023
Abstract
Introduction
The University of New Mexico Dental Hygiene and College of Nursing (CON) faculty created an interactive interprofessional education (IPE) activity to enhance student assessment, communication, and collaboration skills, which met CON and Dental Hygiene clinical objectives and Interprofessional Education Collaborative (IPEC) competencies.
Methods
Participants of the IPE activity included 24 dental hygiene students and 62 CON students, who were divided into small groups. Nursing students provided education about pain assessments, scales, and tools, then dental hygiene students participated in a role play based scenario. The dental hygiene students provided education about oral cancers, demonstrated an oral cancer screening, then nursing students performed oral cancer screenings on one another. Small group debrief discussions included assessment improvement and what they learned about the opposite profession.
Results
Students expressed the learning environment was a comfortable setting to practice assessments and improve communication. They shared an appreciation for the opportunity to learn from students in other healthcare programs and indicated an increase in their knowledge and understanding of one another’s roles and responsibilities specific to patient care. They are interested in collaborating in future IPE activities as they progress through their respective programs.
Conclusion
The IPE activity was successful in meeting clinical objectives and IPEC competencies. We plan to enhance the IPE activity by incorporating other healthcare programs and are interested in creating a follow up IPE event in the fall where students return to collaborate in the care of a patient in the Health Science Center Simulation Center.
Recommended Citation
Dunn, Amanda; Robin Gatlin; and Mitch Irvin. "Why Screening Matters: A Collaboration Between Nursing and Dental Hygiene." (2023). https://digitalrepository.unm.edu/hsc_ipe_day/7
Comments
Poster presented at Interprofessional Education Day 2023