Exploring learning through volunteerism at a student-run community dental clinic

The Student Health Initiative for the Needs of Edmonton (SHINE) dental clinic is a student-run clinic that provides free oral health care to low-income inner-city individuals in Edmonton, Canada. SHINE was managed and operated by the Dental Students' Association, independent from the University of Alberta, at the time of data collection. Students care for patients under the supervision of volunteer dentists and dental hygienists from within the community. Although not a formal education facility, the SHINE clinic appears to offer valuable learning opportunities, based on anecdotal feedback from students and preceptors. The purpose of this study was to explore how the SHINE volunteer experience contributes to student learning.

Ethics approval was granted by the University of Alberta Research Ethics Board (Pro00101981). Using maximum variation purposeful sampling, dentistry and dental hygiene students were recruited to participate in 5 focus groups (N = 19). Interpretive description informed the study, and data were analyzed using manifest thematic analyses.

Three themes captured how SHINE benefitted student learning: 1) learning in a facilitative environment (contextual factors, including pace, preceptor ratios, autonomy, and collaborative learning); 2) learning-conducive roles (tasks and responsibilities students undertook that supplemented existing clinical skills); 3) learning from patients (patient encounters that promoted empathy, communication strategies, and awareness of diverse patient circumstances).

Students' experiences volunteering at SHINE had beneficial learning outcomes and brought to light 3 considerations for dentistry and dental hygiene education: the need for further cultural sensitivity training, student desire for "real-life" experiences, and a reduction in grading upon achieving competency.