Anaham Reserve Outreach
We began our shifts at 9 A.M. and ended past 5 P.M, working almost non-stop.
With the UBC dentistry dental mission team, we went to Anaham to provide free oral health services to the Indigenous people (Tsilhqot’in).
This volunteer project allowed me to understand that the fundamental step of building a successful outreach program is through effective Collaboration & Coordination, which are both important aspects of professionalism.1
Collaboration is the ability to work effectively with others to address one’s oral health needs.1
To work effectively with others, including individual clients and the community stake holders, we first built a shared vision and goal with the community. At Anaham, the goal was to improve the oral health of Tsilhqot’in people. With this shared vision, our team was able to develop a sustainable relationship with the Tsilhqot’in community. To achieve this goal, everyone worked together and promoted problem solving and conflict resolution, despite of the cultural differences and language barriers. With collective decision-making with the community, we were able to engage more individuals and stakeholders to participate in the program and ultimately deliver a successful program.
Coordination is the ability to organize services by brining all the contributions of diverse individuals together.1
Coordination is such an important factor for a program to run smoothly. Coordination interconnects all individuals working on one project. For this project, administrative personnel coordinate with lead dental students and lead dental hygiene students for client scheduling. The lead students then coordinate with other students for client management to ensure quality treatment was complete on time. It is by coordinating with each other where students could attract and handle more clients, while, at the end of the day, exceed the expectations.
This experience highlighted the importance of Collaboration and Coordination for a successful outreach program. I understood that by Collaboration and Coordination, I was able to provide dental care to this community and deliver quality care almost 8 hours a day during my visit. I also realized that effective Collaboration and Coordination supplies and equips myself with the help, resources and resolutions to achieve, or even surpass the goals.
This experience has provided me with the confidence to lead and establish a program in the remote and Indigenous communities after graduation.
Reference:
- Cdha.ca. Canadian Competencies for Baccalaureate Dental Hygiene Programs, 2015 [Internet]. 2015 [cited 29 November 2015]. Available from: http://www.cdha.ca/cdha/The_Profession_folder/Resources_folder/Reports_folder/CDHA/The_Profession/Resources/Reports.aspx?hkey=235bb4c0-7d52-4d1f-b42a-8b04e365c2e2