Strides
in Interprofessional
Education
IPE
Clinic for Pharmacy and
Dentistry
A new Interprofessional
Education (IPE) rotation
for the treatment of
dental patients combines
the skills and expertise
of fourth-year LSUSD
dental students with those
of Xavier University of
Louisiana College of
Pharmacology (XULA-COP)
students. The pilot
program, awarded an
Educational Enhancement
Grant of $4,000 from the
LSUHSC-NO Academy for the
Advancement of Educational
Scholarship, began during
the 2016-2017 academic
year. Jessica Johnson,
PharmD, assistant
professor at Xavier, and
adjunct assistant
professor at LSUHSC, is
project director. Dr. F.
Thomas Giacona, assistant
professor and division
head of comprehensive
care, coordinates dental
student participation with
the assistance of Dr. Chet
Smith, associate professor
of comprehensive
dentistry. Other XULA-COP
faculty members, along
with the dental
instructors, serve as
preceptors in the dental
clinic to guide student
interprofessional
interactions and patient
care.
Students were divided
into seven teams with 300
Xavier pharmacy students
coordinating with 120
dental students throughout
the academic year. Working
in two-week collaborative
rotations in the dental
clinic, dental students
discussed patient
histories and care plans
with the pharmacy
students, who also
observed dental
procedures. Pharmacy
student interventions
focused on blood pressure,
pain management,
anticoagulant/antiplatelet
therapy, antibiotic
coordination, and
nutrition. Dental
students, who receive
multiple educational
exposures to pharmacology
in their curriculum, were
able to enhance their
knowledge of
pharmacotherapy, drug
interactions, and advances
in pharmacy law,
especially related to
analgesics as controlled
substances, through input
from the pharmacy
students. Due to the
success of the program,
the pharmacy-dentistry
collaboration will
continue next year.
|
Pharmacy-Dentistry
IPE rotation
participants,
(l-r) Dr. Dale
Ehrlich, Dr. Tommy
Giacona, Patrick
Nam Nguyen, Corey
Menou, David Do,
Daanaa Richard,
Sahar Talebloo,
Dr. Jessica
Johnson
|
IPSA
Awards
The LSUHSC
Interprofessional Student
Alliance (IPSA) has
established two awards to
recognize student
achievement in IPE. The
IPSA Award of
Interprofessional
Distinction and the IPSA
Leadership Award were
presented for the first
time this spring to
students in all schools of
the health sciences
center. The purpose of
these awards is to
recognize students for
their volunteer and
interprofessional service
work and/or their
leadership in IPE. Dental
students who earned the
IPSA Distinction Award
this year are Lauren Ming,
Thuy Nguyen, Long Truong,
Candice St. Etienne, Katie
Chang, and Ashlon Albert.
To receive this award,
students are required to
earn a specified number of
IPE hours by attending
IPSA-sponsored events,
such as workshops,
meetings, service days,
and projects.
The IPSA Leadership Award
is presented to students
who have gone above and
beyond in
inter-professional
activities in both LSUHSC
and the greater New
Orleans community. IPSA
was formed by an
inter-professional group
of students to support the
many exceptional
LSUHSC-student run
community outreach
projects across campus.
Third-year dental student
Eddie Starr was
vice-president of the
alliance for 2016-2017.
LSU
Medical-Dental IPE
Clinic
An option for emergency
dental care for adults is
open on the LSUSD campus.
The LSU Medical-Dental IPE
Clinic, located across the
street from the school on
Florida Avenue, is
available for patients
with an acute need who
have not yet been accepted
into the dental school
clinic or who do not
desire comprehensive care
at LSUSD. Patients can
make appointments during
clinic hours of Tuesday
through Thursday, 8 am
-4:30 pm, by calling
504-412-1680.
A collaboration between
LSUSD and the LSUHSC
School of Nursing, the
clinic offers primary care
medical and dental
services provided by
LSUHSC nurse
practitioners, nursing
students, dentists, and
LSUSD students. During the
first visit, patients will
be examined by a nurse
practitioner and a dentist
to assess their total
health. Oral health care
at the clinic is provided
by dental students, dental
hygiene students, and GPR
residents under the
supervision of part-time
dental faculty, who also
provide treatment when the
students are not
available.
After the initial
treatment, a patient may
desire no further
treatment or may return to
the IPE clinic for
additional care. Patients
who request comprehensive
dental treatment are
referred to LSUSD for
screening. Patients must
pay prior to the procedure
with cash or credit cards.
The fees are the same as
those charged at LSUSD.
|