1 Preparedness for practice itself may focus on more than one transition phase and in the UK, this may relate to the transition from final year student to 'safe beginner' or from 'safe beginner' to 'independent practitioner'. Within dentistry, 'preparedness for practice' refers to a multifaceted concept encompassing not only an individual's clinical competence and ability but also the behavioural and emotional aspects of 'softer' attitudinal skills, such as communication and professionalism. The importance of a clinical passport to highlight current experience level to trainers, alongside the creation of a personal development plan at the beginning of DFT, will ensure that targeted and personalised training can be implemented where required. Complex clinical procedures remain the areas where students feel they are least prepared for practice. The COVID-19 pandemic was expected to have a major-to-severe impact on undergraduate experience and future DFT prospects.Ĭonclusion Dental graduates in the COVID-19 era may have significantly different training needs to those before them. Male students reported feeling significantly more prepared than female students, mature students significantly more than younger students, and students on four-year courses significantly more than traditional five-year courses. Students reported increased preparedness across domains in which they had the most experience for example, providing preventative advice and administering local anaesthesia. Results Responses were received from final year students across all 16 UK dental schools. Analysis was carried out using IBM Statistical Package for the Social Sciences software using descriptive statistics and the Mann-Whitney U test for two unrelated variables. Materials and methods The current Graduate Assessment of Preparedness for Practice (GAPP) questionnaire was adapted for our specific research aims and piloted and the PreGAPP questionnaire distributed via the social media channels of dental school student societies. Dental students typically utilise their final year to refine their clinical skills, however, the COVID-19 pandemic has meant that newly qualified dentists will have had around six months where they have not performed clinical dentistry before beginning dental foundation training (DFT).Īims This study aimed to explore final year students' self-reported preparedness for practice, identify areas of relative weakness that may influence future training needs and to highlight any perceived impact of the pandemic on final year experience and potential impact on DFT. Previous graduates have reported feeling less prepared for complex procedures, such as molar endodontics and surgical extractions. Introduction 'Preparedness for practice' refers to a multifaceted concept, encompassing not only clinical skills, but also broader, non-clinical skills, such as communication and professionalism.
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