Power of Peers: Students’ Perceptions of Pairing in Clinical Dental Education

Contrasting student and staff perceptions of preclinical-to-clinical transition at a Chilean dental school

INTRODUCTION

Dental education is a challenging and demanding field of study as students are expected to acquire various competencies to fulfil their professional requirements after graduation. The objective of this study was to investigate and compare dental students' and clinical staff instructors' perceptions of the preclinical-to-clinical transition training at a Dental School in Santiago, Chile.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

Two questionnaires containing 11 quantitative and one qualitative item were developed to assess our year three, four and five (n = 244) dental undergraduate students' challenges when they begin treating patients, and clinical staff (n = 78) perceptions of the preparedness to treat patients of the same students. Both questionnaires were voluntarily and anonymously implemented eight weeks after the beginning of the 2019 academic year. Responses were analysed using a Chi-squared test for each quantitative question, while qualitative comments were studied to form themes and dimensions.

RESULTS

A total of 234 (96%) students and 60 (77%) instructors completed their respective questionnaire. There were considerable variations between students in the different years of the programme, as well as between students and staff members. Students and instructors felt the former had enough knowledge to treat patients though it was difficult for them to apply it in clinical practice. Again, both believed they could communicate with patients, but third year students asked for more training on this. Regarding practical skills, fourth- and fifth-year students felt prepared but not third year students, who preferred to work in pairs with senior students, a preference that was shared by the instructors. All student groups asked clinical staff to provide more frequent, constructive and consistent feedback and felt that the difference between simulation and clinical environments and the amount of clinical work to fulfil clinical requirements made them feel stressed. Another mentioned stressor was students' low self-confidence when working with patients. Among the requested improvements, students requested better training on how the dental clinic works to save time.

CONCLUSIONS

Preclinical-to-clinical transition training presents several challenges. Some of the problems highlighted by both students and clinical staff members persisted with the transition after three, four and even five years of training, which needs to be addressed.

Mentorship in a Surgical Residency: A Comprehensive Review of the Literature

Mentorship in surgical training is an experience that extends beyond the teacher-student interaction. Effective mentorship is crucial in surgical training and requires ongoing support at all stages of graduate surgical education, particularly in the context of busy surgical residency programs. It is important to recognize that mentors and mentees may have different styles of learning and teaching, making it essential to discuss and review these approaches to ensure effective mentorship. By acknowledging these differences and developing a supportive mentorship program that addresses them, surgical residents can receive the guidance they need to progress successfully through their training and prepare for independent practice. This review provides a comprehensive analysis of mentorship styles in various surgical training residencies. By including 30 publications, this study highlights different mentorship approaches and their contributions to education in surgical residency programs. Moreover, this study summarizes the 10 stages of mentorship, offering a clearer understanding of the mentorship model in the context of graduate surgical education. Finally, the review provides insight into the common challenges and pitfalls among mentorship programs. The findings of this study aim to provide valuable guidance for developing effective mentorship programs in surgical residency programs, contributing to better support and outcomes for surgical trainees.

Health Status, Behaviors, and Beliefs of Health Sciences Students and Staff at Kuwait University: Toward Maximizing the Health of Future Health Professionals and Their Patients

Health professionals who engage in healthy lifestyle behaviors are more likely to promote their patients’ health. We evaluated health status, behaviors, and beliefs of students (future health professionals) and staff in four health sciences faculties, Kuwait University. In total, 600 students and 231 staff participated in this descriptive cross-sectional study. Questionnaire surveys were used to evaluate lifestyle-related practices and participants’ beliefs about these practices, in addition to health-related objective measures, e.g., heart rate, blood pressure, and body mass index. Overweight/obesity was prevalent among the participants (staff, 68.7%, students, 48.1%; p < 0.001); 57% of staff had suboptimal resting blood pressures. About half of the participants reported being moderately physically active (staff, 44.8%, students, 52.6%; p < 0.05), and most reported moderate/high stress (staff, 88.8%, students, 90.9%; p > 0.05). Only 25.1% of staff and 27.9% of students reported at least 8 h sleep nightly (p > 0.05). Staff reported healthier dietary practices than students (p-value range < 0.001–0.02). Overall, the participants had sub-optimal health indices. A marked gap existed between participants’ beliefs about healthy lifestyle practices and their actual health status. Healthy lifestyle programs are needed on campus with respect to diet, exercise, and stress management. As emerging health professionals, students in health sciences faculties, Kuwait University, need exposure to a health-promoting environment including healthy staff as role models.

Satisfaction of optional pairing in clinical dental training

PURPOSE

The aim of this study was to investigate the perceived satisfaction of optional pairing in undergraduate clinical dental training of fourth- and fifth-year dental students and newly graduated intern dentists in the subject of conservative dentistry and endodontics.

METHODS

Data were collected through a paper-based 2-part questionnaire. The first part was made of 3 questions; gender, undergraduate dental year, and grade point average (GPA). The second part involved 9 questions about assistant student-year level preference, satisfaction of optional pairing and main advantages and disadvantages of pairing. Statistical analysis was performed using descriptive statistics and Chi-square test to investigate any statistically significant differences.

RESULTS

A total of 92.4% were satisfied with optional clinical pairing. Satisfied respondents reported most prevalent advantages were speeding things up (88.5%) and helping in transferring instruments and materials (85.6%). Unsatisfied respondents reported the most prevalent disadvantages were like to work independently (56.8%) and the assistant was not always cooperative (32.4%). Students with low grade point averages (GPAs) felt incompetent to work in pairs compared with high GPA students (P = 0.001). Only 32.4% of participants thought that the assistant student should be given an evaluation mark. About 75% of respondents reported that clinical pairing improved their diagnostic skills and treatment planning.

CONCLUSIONS

Optional pairing in clinical dental training had a high satisfaction percentage. Allowing students to choose their own assistants may reduce pairing disadvantages and enhance its advantages. Students may gain a mentoring benefit from being encouraged to optionally pair with similar or higher study-year students.

Dental Faculty, Student, and Alumni Perceptions of Happiness and Life Satisfaction in Dental School: Foundations for Resilience and Well-Being

This study examined happiness and satisfaction as possible foundations for long-term well-being and resilience in dental education. Psychological research has found that respect, camaraderie, and trust help define well-being and that resilience is built with these supportive influences. The aims of this study were to assess if happiness and life satisfaction reported by one U.S. dental school's faculty, students, and alumni also enhanced their perceived well-being and resilience and to determine the factor that most affected the participants' happiness. Email and hard copy surveys were distributed in 2018 and 2019 to all 71 full-time preclinical and clinical faculty members, 572 students in all four years, and 143 alumni who graduated in 2018 (total N = 786). Overall, 471 responded; response rates by group were as follows: faculty 87.3% (N = 62), students 65.9% (N = 377), and graduates 22.4% (N = 32). Of the three groups, responding faculty members reported having the highest levels of happiness in life (92.0%) and job satisfaction (90.3%). In the highest percentage reported, 90.2% of D4 students reported that the level of trust and respect they received from clinical faculty members contributed most to their happiness. The lowest level of happiness among the groups (71.0%) was reported by the D2 students. These results suggested that perceived well-being translated to happiness among the participants in our study. More research is needed to understand the relationship among positive environments, well-being, and provider resilience in dental education.

A Retrospective Analysis of a Cross-Year Peer Tutoring Program for Oral Health Students

Health professions education is extremely challenging for students, requiring high performance in fast-paced learning environments. In addition, the challenge of instructing students at many performance levels and the lack of teaching assistants can create a knowledge gap between educators and students. Using cross-year peer tutors is one potential method to close this gap and improve student performance. The aims of this study were to retrospectively evaluate the impact of a cross-year peer tutoring program on successful course completion of oral health students and to assess student and tutor perceptions of the experience. First- and second-year dental and dental therapy students were assigned to cross-year tutors as a result of progression committee recommendations and self-identification. Potential tutors were vetted by the course directors. The collected data included number of courses in which students were assigned a tutor, the type of course (lecture vs. lab), and students' success in the courses. These data were collected for a four-year period (2013-14 to 2016-17), and student and tutor perceptions were assessed in one year. The results showed that 94% of the students who received tutoring passed their courses. Students who had been tutored had a significantly lower failure rate than those who were not tutored (20% vs. 80%, respectively). These results suggest that the cross-year peer tutoring program was useful in closing the learning gap between instructors' expert level and novice learners. Participating students and tutors also perceived the program as a positive and beneficial experience.