Team training at an outreach dental unit

Area of Science:

• Dental Education
• Healthcare Management
• Clinical Operations

Background:

• Dental student training involves extensive clinical work.
• The role and support of dental nurses significantly impact clinic efficiency.
• Optimizing clinical environments is crucial for maximizing student output.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the output of undergraduate dental students across two clinic sites with different nursing support models.
• To assess student and dental nurse preferences regarding team structure.
• To identify key contributions of dental nurses to patient throughput.

Main Methods:

• A cohort of 89 undergraduate dental students worked for one year across two clinics.
• Data on workdays (3901 total) were collected, noting shared vs. dedicated nursing support.
• A questionnaire was administered to 98% of students regarding dental nurse roles.

Main Results:

• Clinic output was similar despite 63% of time being at a shared nursing support site.
• Another site with dedicated nursing support yielded comparable results.
• Students and nurses preferred team-based work over shared arrangements.
• Chairside assistance was identified by most students as the most crucial nursing contribution.

Conclusions:

• Dedicated nursing support is not necessarily superior to shared models for dental student output.
• Team-based collaboration between dental students and nurses is preferred and effective.
• The primary role of dental nurses in enhancing patient throughput is chairside assistance.