Description of a faculty-student group practice.
Dental schools are facing budgetary constraints, decreasing clinic patient populations, and increasing competition. At the same time, there is a need to provide students a realistic educational environment. The Dental Practice Systems (DPS) Program is a partially self-supported student-faculty group practice designed to address these issues. All individuals appearing for care are accepted into the program. Services are delivered by vertical teams of faculty preceptors, in-house specialty consultants, dental and dental hygiene students, and appropriate auxiliaries. All third- and fourth-year students rotate through the program providing clinical services. In addition, fourth-year students are assigned specific managerial responsibilities. The DPS Program maximizes the use of auxiliaries and students, allowing each to function as autonomously as is consistent with good patient care.
D001525:Behavioral Sciences / Q000193:education; D003190:Comprehensive Dental Care; D003695:Delivery of Health Care; D003727:Dental Auxiliaries / Q000193:education; D004497:Education, Dental / Q000191:economics; D005069:Evaluation Studies as Topic; D005179:Faculty, Dental; D006124:Group Practice, Dental / Q000191:economics; D006801:Humans; D007182:Income; D010361:Patients; D011215:Practice Management, Dental; D011231:Preceptorship; D013335:Students, Dental