Outcomes of a 2‐year, 5 cohort faculty development program

Abstract

Introduction: A grant-funded faculty development program, From Practice to Preceptor (FP2P), sought to recruit and train diverse general and pediatric dentists to become dental faculty from 2012-2018. This study is an evaluation of this completed initiative and offers an initial review of long-term outcomes of the program. Methods: Over 5 entering cohorts, 133 practitioners applied to the program and 45 were accepted. A 2-year training program used classroom and hands-on training to prepare practitioners for the occupational demands of academia. Program participants were offered pre-and post-surveys to evaluate their perceived preparedness in faculty competencies identified by the program. Participants were also sent an alumni survey, and employment was tracked by the host institution. Results: Most (43 of 45) participants completed the program. Pre-and postsurvey results were received from 24 of 30 (80%) participants in Cohorts 2, 3, and 5, and used for this analysis. The results suggest the program participants' perception of their ability to work effectively as faculty members in administrative, teaching, and clinical arenas increased. Over half of the program completers obtained employment as dental faculty. A majority of (19/26, 73%) program completers who responded to the alumni survey indicated the skills and knowledge gained in the program were useful to their current employment. Conclusion: The FP2P program evaluation results indicate a long-term faculty training program may be a useful methodology for recruiting and training current dentists to work in academic dentistry. K E Y W O R D S academic careers, dental faculty, dental faculty development 1 BACKGROUND Preparation of the future dental workforce depends on the availability of a sufficient supply of dental educators. According to Formacola's 2017 review of trends regarding dental faculty, over a 10-year period ending in 2014, the predoctoral dental student population in the United States increased 20%, and the number of schools increased 16%. In this time, the full-time/part-time breakdown of faculty in both basic and clinical sciences remained relatively stable. However, the number of basic science faculty dropped by nearly half, and the number of full-time clinical faculty increased by only 3.8%. As a result, the average student to faculty ratio for full-time clinical faculty increased from 7.3:1 to 8.7:1. 1 While annual demand for faculty hiring varies slightly, the number of full-time faculty vacancies increased to 5.1% of budgeted full-time positions in 2015-2016, while the number of part-time vacancies decreased

Recommendations for remaining agile in the face of a dental faculty workforce shortage

“…More schools are exploring a student to faculty pipeline in which dental students are exposed to elements of teaching, often through peer mentoring and career exploration in academic dentistry through involvement in the American Dental Education Association (ADEA) Academic Dental Careers Fellowship Program or student organizations focused on education. A master's program or similarly structured educational program targeting dentists entering academia may also increase the recruitment of private practitioners into faculty positions 4,35,36 …”

“…A master's program or similarly structured educational program targeting dentists entering academia may also increase the recruitment of private practitioners into faculty positions. 4,35,36 3.…”

Computer aided design/computer aided manufacturing (CAD/CAM) technology in the undergraduate dental programs in the MENA region

“…28,29 According to the result of our survey, a large number of dental schools still not in- graduates to keep them aligned with the developing technology in dentistry. 31,32 The MENA region is facilitated with CDE programs especially on CAD/CAM technology by several providers; however, in our survey, we find that a majority of the participant does not advocate students to partake in extra-curricular training programs outside the university ground. Despite this fact, the TA B L E 1 Participants' experience and institution's CAD/CAM facility.…”

“…One important aspect of dentistry is the collaborative effort of the dental industry with the health care provider to introduce and advancement of technologies in dentistry 30 . Continuing dental education (CDE) and faculty development program is an effective tool to fulfil the gap in knowledge and skill of dental graduates to keep them aligned with the developing technology in dentistry 31,32 . The MENA region is facilitated with CDE programs especially on CAD/CAM technology by several providers; however, in our survey, we find that a majority of the participant does not advocate students to partake in extra‐curricular training programs outside the university ground.…”