ADEA Guiding Principles for the Education of Oral Health Professionals in Emerging Workforce Models: (As approved by the 2011 ADEA House of Delegates)

GTranslate

Introduction

In September 2009, the Board of Directors of the American Dental Education Association (ADEA) approved the creation of the ADEA Task Force on the Education of Oral Health Professionals in Emerging Workforce Models. Its charge was to “enunciate a set of principles to guide the educational preparation of oral health professionals in emerging workforce models.”

ADEA believes that its role, in collaboration with its member institutions, is to anticipate and prepare for changes to the curriculum and the academic environment that emerging workforce models will require as states consider modifying their practice acts to include emerging workforce models. The Association’s role is not to develop new workforce models, but to ensure the quality of the educational preparation of oral health professionals in these models.

These guiding principles are based, in part, on the following assumptions:

Demographic shifts in society have major implications for the future composition of the oral health workforce. Professionals in the workforce of the future should possess values, attitudes, knowledge, and skills that enable them to competently meet changing societal needs.
A single standard of quality should apply when the same service is provided by different members of the oral health team.
The creation of new workforce models will require modification to the educational preparation of existing oral health team members to support the successful integration of emerging models.
The guiding principles articulated for emerging workforce models have application to and implications for the education of all oral health professionals.

The ADEA Guiding Principles for the Education of Oral Health Professionals in Emerging Workforce Models aim to maintain high standards for the education, preparation, and competence of oral health professionals in emerging workforce models. These principles can inform and influence the education of oral health professionals in emerging workforce models to ensure they possess the values, attitudes, knowledge, and skills needed to provide quality oral health care.

The American Dental Education Association encourages institutions, organizations, and policymakers that are designing oral health workforce models and those that are developing educational programs to prepare these professionals to incorporate these guiding principles into their planning and decision making.

Principle 1

Educational programs for oral health professionals in emerging workforce models should be based on clearly defined goals and desired educational outcomes. These programs should be competency-based, providing learning experiences to ensure that students attain the values, attitudes, knowledge, skills, and experiences needed to provide quality care in a collaborative, interprofessional environment.

Competency domains should be consistent across educational programs and should align with the ADEA Competencies for Entry into the Allied Dental Professions. Where the scope of practice for emerging workforce models extends beyond the allied dental competencies, competency domains should align with the ADEA Competencies for the New General Dentist. Competency domains for oral health professionals in emerging workforce models should include communication, culture and diversity, evidence-based patient care, health policy and advocacy, health promotion and disease prevention, professionalism and ethics, and systems thinking and financial management. Specific competencies within each domain should reflect the scope of practice of each professional position.
The academic dental community should be involved in decisions regarding the length and rigor of educational programs. The academic dental community possesses the expertise and experience to ensure that graduates have sufficient time to achieve competencies and demonstrate the values, attitudes, knowledge, experience, and skills (including critical thinking, ethical decision making, teamwork, communication, and cultural competence) needed to provide care at the level defined by their scope of practice.
Curricula should include instruction in biomedical, clinical, behavioral, social, and economic sciences. Educational programs should expose students to experiences working with dental, allied dental, and other health professionals in integrated clinical settings to ensure that all members of the oral health team understand the roles and responsibilities of each member of the team.

Principle 2

Educational programs for oral health professionals in emerging workforce models should have appropriate processes to ensure program quality and assessment of graduates’ competencies.

National accreditation standards should be developed and implemented by the Commission on Dental Accreditation to ensure ongoing quality and continuity across educational programs.
The education, knowledge, skills, and experience needed to safely provide oral health services, as defined by scope of practice, should inform decisions about the appropriate level of supervision. These decisions should be made with input from the academic dental community.

Principle 3

Educational programs for oral health professionals in emerging workforce models should ensure that students attain the skills necessary to engage individuals from diverse populations in decisions about their oral health.

Educational programs should emphasize the principles of population-based public health science as a means of engaging diverse populations and communities in the prevention and control of oral diseases and in reducing oral health disparities.
Educational programs should ensure that graduates attain the values, attitudes, knowledge, and skills needed to provide care that is respectful of a patient’s culture, class, race, and ethnic and socioeconomic background.
Educational programs should implement strategies to recruit, retain, and promote individuals from diverse backgrounds.

Principle 4

Educational programs for oral health professionals in emerging workforce models should be evaluated continuously to determine their success in meeting their defined goals and educational outcomes.

Educational programs should ensure that graduates are educated in a timely, efficient, and equitable manner, and possess the values, attitudes, knowledge, and skills needed to provide safe, appropriate, patient-centered care.
Educational programs should prepare graduates to meet a single standard of quality for the same service provided by different members of the oral health team.

Conclusion

The ADEA Guiding Principles for the Education of Oral Health Professionals in Emerging Workforce Models aim to maintain high standards for the education, preparation, and competence of oral health professionals in emerging workforce models. ADEA encourages institutions, organizations, and policymakers that are designing oral health workforce models and those that are developing educational programs to prepare these professionals to incorporate these guiding principles into their planning and decision making.

This article requires a subscription to view the full text. If you have a subscription you may use the login form below to view the article. Access to this article can also be purchased.