Introduction Concerns regarding the preparedness of dental graduates often focus on the number of procedures undertaken before qualification. Aims To assess the validity of numerical requirements in determining whether a student has sufficient competency to graduate. Materials and methods In total, …
Introduction The Graduate Assessment of Preparedness for Practice (GAPP) questionnaire has been shown to be valid and reliable in assessing the preparedness of foundation dentists (FDs) for independent general dental practice (GDP). In this study it is used to establish preparedness at six weeks of …
Objective The aims of this survey were to evaluate the effectiveness of workplace based assessments (WPAs) in dental foundation training (formerly vocational training [VT]).Methods Two online questionnaire surveys were sent to 53 foundation dental practitioners (FDPs) and their 51 trainers in the Me…
Commissioned by NHS Education South Central (NESC) Postgraduate Dental Deanery, this work provided an external, independent formative evaluation of the Dental Therapists Vocational Training (TVT) scheme in its first year of operation. Undertaken between March-September 2009, the evaluation engaged w…
Aims Against the background of the publication of the General Dental Council's interim report on undergraduate dental education the aim was to investigate current trends in teaching of complete denture construction to undergraduates in the twelve long established dental schools and to gather the opi…
The goal of all dental schools is to develop competent, knowledgeable dentists who have excellent communication skills and a sense of social responsibility. This paper describes the theoretical reasoning behind the design of an innovative dental curriculum constructed from first principles in the UK…
Objective: This study was undertaken to devise a suitable survey instrument to measure morale, and to undertake an assessment of morale amongst vocational dental practitioners (VDPs) in the UK. Design: Postal questionnaire survey. Setting: Dental vocational training schemes in the UK. Subjects: Voca…
Aims The aims of the study were two fold: to determine the influence of trainer expertise on the Vocational Training (VT) experience, particularly in terms of providing Vocational Dental Practitioners (VDPs) with positive role models; and to ascertain if it is possible to identify attributes of expe…
Objectives To ascertain the requirements in restorative dentistry that undergraduate dental students have to fulfil in order to sit the finals examinations in dental schools in the UK and Ireland and to compare those requirements with the competencies stipulated by the GDC in The first five years.Me…
We are nowadays so clued into the idea of GCE A-levels, five years at dental school, a year (or possibly two) of vocational training and then a career life-long learning process that the notion of anything less seems fanciful. And as for apprenticeships, well dental education has come on in leaps an…
Objective To carry out an in depth evaluation of the vocational training year.Design Qualitative structured focus groups and interviews.Setting Three regional vocational training schemes in the south of England.Methods Each scheme provided a group of six vocational dental practitioners (VDPs) who me…
Aim: Published studies in the international dental literature illustrate that the quality of prescription and fabrication of cobalt-chromium removable partial dentures (CCRPDs) by general dental practitioners frequently fail to comply with ethical and legal requirements. The reasons cited for this i…
Since the expansion of the European Union on 1 May 2004 the interest in recruiting dentists from outside the UK has intensified. Additionally, the Department of Health's announcement in July about the modernisation of NHS dentistry included the promise to 'recruit 1000 extra NHS dentists by October …
Increasing emphasis is being placed in dentistry, as in other areas, on outcome-based education and on the specification of learning outcomes. This paper describes the adaptation for dentistry of the medical three circle model as described by Harden to specify learning outcomes. The model offers an …
Introduction: This paper reports an evaluation of the West Midlands Key Skills initiative that provides a framework for learning during vocational training (VT). Method: The 48 vocational dental practitioners (VDPs) who began their VT in August 2001 in the West Midlands were surveyed at the start an…
This paper describes the development, implementation and evaluation of an educational resource, ‘On Track’, designed to support dental SHOs throughout their time in post, thereby helping them gain optimum benefit from this important stage in their early postgraduate training. The need for such a res…
The second edition of The First Five Years - A framework for Dental Undergraduate Education was published by the General Dental Council (GDC) in August 2002. As with the first edition the overall intention has been to define the scope and content of the undergraduate curriculum. However the second e…
Objectives: The objectives of this course were: to develop an induction course for vocational trainees taking up first SHO posts; to enable new dental SHOs to have enhanced skills from the beginning of the post; to create safe practitioners capable of performing SHO duties; and to assess whether suc…
During the VT year the VDP and the trainer could choose to progressively check and complete each of the competencies listed and using the skills evaluation document make the appropriate record. Any areas of further training needs would be identified and a learning plan implemented. The whole process…
An action research study using a series of staged focus groups with senior house officers (SHOs) and educational supervisors (ES) was used to identify the perceptions of the strengths and challenges in the SHO training programme and to indicate areas for improvement. The basic findings were not enti…
