The Clinical Observership Program: A Valuable Experience for Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery Residents.

Area of Science:

• Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery
• Surgical Education
• Regenerative Procedures

Background:

• Oral and maxillofacial surgery residency training must cover the specialty's scope.
• Success in practice often requires specialized experience in complex oral regenerative procedures like bone grafting and implant surgery, alongside practice management.
• The Osteo Science Foundation established the Clinical Observership Program (COP) in 2017 to address this need.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate resident participants' experiences in the Clinical Observership Program (COP) from 2017 to 2021.
• To report numerical ratings of the COP experience based on a survey of resident participants.

Main Methods:

• An institutional retrospective case series design was employed.
• An electronic survey was administered to all COP participants from 2017 to 2021.
• Participants rated their experience on a 1-10 scale across six categories, including program expectations, mentor time, procedure variety, didactic education, practice management exposure, and overall satisfaction.

Main Results:

• All 55 participants completed the survey, providing a 100% response rate.
• The overall mean score for the COP experience was 9.63 out of 10.
• Mean scores for individual categories ranged from 9.21 to 9.89, indicating high resident satisfaction.

Conclusions:

• Residents reported a highly positive experience in the Clinical Observership Program.
• The COP is considered a valuable supplemental educational experience for oral and maxillofacial surgery residents.
• The program effectively enhances resident preparedness for complex surgical procedures and practice management.