Building Relationships in Community; Bridging Gaps in Care
David, a third-year dental student, thought that joining the Interprofessional Community Scholars Program would be a good opportunity to connect with someone outside of his “usual campus bubble” and he was right!
He learned a lot in what he described as a “symbiotic relationship” with his team, which included a Community Health Mentor. This older woman taught him about resources she utilized that he was unfamiliar with, and he helped her find a way to get her much-needed dentures covered by insurance.
David found it exciting to interact with someone in the community, in their home, being in the moment—and working “on the fly” with the team. He indicated that it was extremely valuable to learn about holistic approaches and perspectives he isn’t exposed to in his particular college and—and see it all in motion together.
“It was useful to see how other professions approach different patients…I now have more information and more knowledge to work with in the future.”
David
As for his Mentor? “We stay in contact—she’s left an impression on me,” he says. In fact, she became his patient in the dental clinic briefly, before he was able to find her a dentist elsewhere who better aligned with her current insurance.