Journal of dental education
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There has been increasing interest at health science centers in improving the education of health professionals by offering faculty development activities. In 2007-08, as part of an effort to expand education-related faculty development offerings on campus, the University of Tennessee Health Science Center surveyed faculty members in an effort to identify faculty development activities that would be of interest. Factor analysis of survey data indicated that faculty interests in the areas of teaching and learning can be grouped into six dimensions: development of educational goals and objectives, the use of innovative teaching techniques, clinical teaching, improving traditional teaching skills, addressing teaching challenges, and facilitating participation. ⋯ Full professors expressed somewhat less interest in faculty development activities than faculty members of lower ranks. Faculty members in the Colleges of Medicine and Dentistry expressed somewhat greater interest in faculty development to improve traditional teaching skills. The policy implications of the survey results are discussed, including the need for faculty development activities that target the needs of specific faculty groups.
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Comparative Study
Comparison of extramural clinical rotation days: did the Pipeline program make a difference?
Extramural clinical rotations are implemented by dental schools for a combination of clinical and didactic or behavioral goals. In the United States, the Pipeline, Profession, and Practice: Community-Based Dental Education program was launched to increase the number of underrepresented minority students who are recruited and retained in dental education, to expand the dental curriculum in cultural competence, and to incorporate community-based extramural rotations into the dental schools' clinical curriculum. The objective of this study was to conduct an impact analysis regarding the change in number of extramural clinical rotation weeks for Pipeline and non-Pipeline program students over the time period of 2003 to 2007. ⋯ Students reported a mean of 7.2 weeks for Pipeline students and 6.4 weeks for non-Pipeline students in 2003, increasing to 8.2 weeks for Pipeline students and 6.6 weeks for non-Pipeline students (p<0.05) in 2007. The multivariable model showed the Pipeline program increased significantly the number of rotational weeks reported by students. Three other variables significantly increased rotation weeks: 1) a lower baseline number of reported weeks in community rotations; 2) a lower level of debt student reported upon graduation; and 3) student reports of a higher orientation toward service to others as a reason to enter dentistry.
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The traditional method for the delivery of didactic instruction and patient care in dental schools has come under fire from a number of sources over the past several years. The American Dental Education Association and others have outlined numerous issues impeding the swift progression of student learning through the dental curriculum. ⋯ This article describes the development, implementation, and assessment of a new dental school that addresses these and other challenges to the education of today's dental student, thus creating the Arizona Model. Following seven years of operation, outcomes analysis at the Arizona School of Dentistry & Oral Health has shown positive trends in controlling educational costs, a shift to a modular curriculum, increasing student clinical experiences, and, consistent with the mission of the school, producing dentists who are well prepared for dental public health service.
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The various reasons for the current and projected shortages of dental faculty members in the United States have received much attention. Dental school deans have reported that the top three factors impacting their ability to fill faculty positions are meeting the requirements of the position, lack of response to position announcement, and salary/budget limitations. An electronic survey sent to program directors of specialty programs at all accredited U. ⋯ A total of seventy-three permanently funded full-time faculty positions were reported vacant, with 89.0 percent of these positions having been advertised in nationally recognized professional journals and newsletters. Networking or word-of-mouth was reported as the most successful method for advertising. The majority of those responding reported that professional dental organizations did not help with filling vacant faculty positions, but that they would utilize the American Dental Association's website or their specialty organization's website to post faculty positions if they were easy to use and update.
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The dental education literature identifies eleven benchmark reform agenda curriculum qualities. The purpose of this study was to determine the extent to which the University of British Columbia D. M. ⋯ Some differences (p<0.05) were identified within the faculty and student groups; however, there were many more differences between the faculty and the students, especially in areas related to curriculum redesign, collaborations with other health professions, preparation for independent practice, and creating a trust-based clinic environment. Faculty members were more optimistic about curriculum progress than were students. Improved communication of curriculum goals and explicit efforts at creating a safe and supportive learning environment could diminish these differences over time.