Dental students' reflections on their experiences with a diverse patient population.
Recent developments, including national reports and new accreditation standards, have emphasized the need for dental students to be prepared to address the needs of a diverse patient population. The purpose of this study was to explore students' descriptions of and reflections on their day-to-day interactions with a diverse patient population in the clinical setting, using a qualitative approach. All dental students (sixty-six) enrolled in the third year of the D.M.D. program at a Midwestern dental school were required to write a paper reflecting on their experiences working with a diverse patient population in the general dental clinic of the school as part of a behavioral sciences course. All third-year dental students were invited to participate in the study. The students' papers were deidentified prior to data analysis. Forty-two students' papers describing a total of 126 patient-student interactions were reviewed. Data analysis resulted in identification of three key themes: 1) development of cultural awareness and recognition of the need to understand each patient as a unique individual, 2) desire to build rapport with all patients, and 3) realization that the development of cultural competence is a lifelong learning process requiring ongoing experiences working with a diverse patient population. Review of student reflection papers is valuable in providing faculty with an understanding of students' degree of development of cultural competence. A greater understanding of students' day-to-day experiences with a diverse patient population can provide insights for dental educators who develop cultural competence curricula.
School of Dental Medicine, Case Western Reserve University, 2124 Cornell Road, Cleveland, OH 44106-4905, USA. kristin.victoroff@case.edu
Kristin Zakariasen
KZ
Victoroff
Kristin A
KA
Williams
James
J
Lalumandier
D000328:Adult; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D001294:Attitude to Health; D001525:Behavioral Sciences / Q000193:education; D002983:Clinical Competence; D003142:Communication; D054521:Cultural Competency / Q000193:education; D018864:Cultural Diversity; D003479:Curriculum; D003812:Dentist-Patient Relations; D004497:Education, Dental; D056348:Emotional Intelligence; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior; D006292:Health Priorities; D006801:Humans; D007802:Language; D008019:Life Style; D008297:Male; D009909:Oral Health; D057240:Patient Preference; D063508:Social Discrimination; D012938:Social Perception; D013240:Stereotyping; D013335:Students, Dental / Q000523:psychology*; D035502:Trust
behavioral sciences; cultural competence; dental education; dental students; diversity