Interprofessional clinical training based in a federally qualified health center: a short report

A.T. Still University and HealthPoint, a federally qualified health center, worked together to develop novel interprofessional educational clinical experiences for dental and medical students. This short report is focused on evaluating outcomes related to student and patient experiences. Dental and medical faculty designed the program to be as hands on as possible while minimizing disruption to clinic flow. Second-year medical and fourth-year dental students worked together to assess the physical and oral health of the patients. One hundred forty-eight students participated. Of 429 total patients assessed, 83 were referred from the medical clinic to the dental clinic. Caries was present in 24.9% of patients. Overwhelmingly, the patients enjoyed having teams of students care for them. These types of clinical interprofessional experiences give students valuable opportunities to learn with, from, and about each other while providing hands-on care to patients.