Postgraduate general dentistry residency: a clinical model

Dental graduates today are expected to be knowledgeable in many more areas than their predecessors. Changing technology and increased competition require entering the dental profession with more experience and skills. One approach to achieving this skill level is a postgraduate general dentistry residency in a clinical setting during the year following dental school graduation (PGY1). The clinical residency provides new dentists with additional hands-on training and reinforces classroom learning. HealthPartners was selected as a clinical rotation for residents in the advanced general dentistry program at the University of Minnesota Dental School. The program provides dental graduates in PGY1 training in all areas of practice. The HealthPartners rotation is highly unique. It is a staff model HMO with a clinical, multi-specialty setting. Today, HealthPartners--a Minnesota-based healthcare organization--has 116,000 members with prepaid dental benefits. Residents trained in the program develop increased skills in all areas of dental practice. In addition, they develop a good working knowledge in the basic sciences. Methods of instruction include didactic training in the form of seminars, lectures, and clinical training in HealthPartners' dental clinics.