First-year Associate Degree dental hygiene and paramedic students Carlos Saa and Caleb Hudak participated in an interprofessional health care education experience on Tuesday, March 29.

During Dr. Katie Woods’ DEH 1800 class, EMS Instructor Ralph Sibio, AS, PM, NREMT, discussed diabetes and the management of patients who may have a diabetic emergency in a dental office. Paramedic students Saa and Hudak assisted in taking the blood glucose levels of the dental hygiene students.

Later discussions centered on the possibility of assessing blood glucose levels on patients in the dental office.

Interprofessional education

An interprofessional learning experience, like those offered at SPC’s Health Education Center, refers to individuals from different health areas working together. In this kind of environment, each person from the different disciplines offers their own skills and knowledge to support others.

According to the Institute of Medicine, cited by explorehealthcareers.org, “All health professionals should be educated to deliver patient-centered care as members of an interdisciplinary team, emphasizing evidence-based practice, quality improvement approaches, and informatics.”