Preclinical to clinical transition experiences of dental students at an Australian Regional University

Beyond labs: unveiling dynamics of dental students' transition from pre-clinical to clinical training in a Saudi dental school

Objective

To assess the factors affecting the transition of dental students from pre-clinical to clinical courses in an outcome-based curriculum.

Methods

This cross-sectional study surveyed dental students in the third and fourth academic years of the Bachelor of Dental and Oral Surgery (BDS) program at the College of Dentistry, Jouf University. Ethically approved and powered by the G Power software, the study employed a modified questionnaire validated through a pilot test to assess five domains. Likert scale responses were analyzed using SPSS v.25, revealing insights into clinical workload, patient interaction, and learning experiences. Multiple regression analysis was used to assess the impact of clinical skill application, workload, transition to clinics, and patient interaction on learning experience as well as CGPA. The Mann-Whitney U test compared the ranks of two independent samples, making it less sensitive to outliers and more suitable for data with non-normal distributions.

Results

In this study, the response rate of the participants was 70%. A total of 44 dental students in their third and fourth years of the program completed the survey. The multiple regression analysis showed that the predictors collectively explained 36.1% of the variance in the learning experience (Adjusted R2 = 0.361). "Transition to Clinics" had a significant positive effect on learning experience (β = 0.292, p = 0.012), "Workload" (β = -0.203, p = 0.393) and "Patient Interaction" (β = 0.443, p = 0.168) were not significant predictors. The Mann-Whitney U test revealed no significant gender differences in transition to clinics, workload, patient interaction, application of clinical skills, and learning experience (U = 33.09 to -40.33, p > 0.05), but a significant difference in transition to clinics between third- and fourth-year students (U = 31.56 to -43.24, p < 0.05).

Conclusion

The results of this study demonstrate that the transition to clinical training can be intricate, and that multiple elements have an impact on this process. It is crucial to have support systems that facilitate the transition into the clinical learning environment.

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.

Dental student oral surgery training-Comparing the impact of COVID-19 and cohort sizes

INTRODUCTION

The response to the COVID-19 pandemic potentially reduced the clinical experience and academic education of dental trainees through reduced supervised clinical sessions. Graduating dental students, future employers and regulators may be concerned over the level of clinical experience of graduates trained within the COVID-19 pandemic. The purpose of this study was to try and document the evidence for, and significance of, this impact.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

From dental student data in the 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020 cohorts attending the University of Sydney, Australia, the number of dental extractions and adjunct oral surgery procedures, as well as final end-of-year examination results, was recorded. Results were compared to determine whether differences in experience and final academic achievement existed between these cohorts.

RESULTS

The smallest student cohort, 2017, demonstrated greater clinical experience than the 2018, 2019 and 2020 cohorts. The 2020 COVID-19-affected cohort demonstrated no statistically significant reduction in clinical experience in all measured clinical procedures when compared to the 2018 and 2019 cohorts. The decrease in city teaching hospital clinical experience was compensated by an increase in rural placements. The 2020 cohort achieved the lowest academic results, and this was statistically significant.

CONCLUSION

The oral surgery clinical experience of the 2020 dental cohort at the University of Sydney was comparable to prior cohorts. Rural clinics were able to compensate for COVID-19 interruptions to clinical training. The number of students in a cohort, if all other variables remain constant, appeared to affect clinical exposure to a greater extent than COVID-19.

Transitioning to practice: a qualitative investigation of Australian graduate naturopath's experiences of being in practice

BACKGROUND

The transition from student to practitioner can be challenging, resulting in stress, burnout and attrition. While there has been ample research examining graduate medical and allied health practitioner experiences of transitioning to practice, there is a paucity of research exploring such experiences in newly qualified naturopathic medicine practitioners. In light of this knowledge gap, the objective of this study was to ascertain the experiences of practicing as a naturopath in Australia within the first 5 years post-graduation.

METHODS

Using a qualitative descriptive approach, recent graduates of an Australian Bachelor of Naturopathy (or equivalent) program were invited to participate in a semi-structured telephone interview to address the study objective. Data were analysed utilising a framework approach.

RESULTS

A total of 19 new graduates (94.7% female; 57.9% aged 40-59 years) undertook an interview. Five inter-related themes emerged from the data: practitioner, practice, proprietorship, professions, and perceptions. Connected with these themes were contrasting feelings, multiplicity of duties, small business challenges, professional collaboration, and professional identity, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

Participants were generally content with their decision to become a naturopath. However, most were confronted by a range of challenges as they transitioned from graduate to practitioner, for which many felt ill-prepared. In light of the complexity of the issue, and the potential impact on the sustainability of the profession, it is evident that a multi-pronged, multi-stakeholder approach would be needed to better support graduate naturopath transition to practice.