Monitoring career impact and satisfaction in a graduate program in dentistry

The assessment of student outcomes is essential for monitoring the quality of graduate programs in healthcare sciences. As such, this study focused on developing a self-employed questionnaire that allowed for the evaluation of elements focused on career impact and levels of satisfaction regarding graduate program education. Following, this instrument was utilized in a cross-sectional study design with alumni that had obtained their degree (MSc or PhD) over a 25-year span (1995-2020) from a graduate program in dentistry located in Brazil.

The employed instrument comprised a total of 43 questions presenting a mix of both close and open-ended questions coupled with 5-point Likert scales. The questionnaire was hosted online and a total of 528 alumni were invited to participate through e-mail and social media outreach.

376 alumni answered the questionnaire (71.2% response rate). The majority were female (69.9%), and with a MSc (58.5%). Levels of satisfaction towards the program as well the impact in career and life were higher in alumni that had obtained a PhD degree compared to MSc. After obtaining the degree, an increase in involvement in teaching/research positions (3.4% vs 21.5%, p < 001) and a decrease in unemployment (21.9% vs 2.1%, p < 001) were observed. The highest levels of impact were observed regarding the achievement of the professional goals as nearly 90% of the population agreed with this statement.

This study highlighted the creation and employment of an assessment tool that can be utilized to monitor the perceptions of student outcomes. Among the findings, a decrease in unemployment and a high degree of career impact and satisfaction were observed in the population of this study. Moving forward, it is essential that monitoring educational outcomes remains a priority worldwide.