The Clinical Conference as Guidance to Forming Interns’ Professional Competencies During Formation in the Umsa’s Department of Postgraduated Education of Dentists

Abstract

Over 25 years the staff of the department of postgraduate education of dentists of the "UMSA" has been preparing the interns. The formation of independent clinical thinking in youth specialists, the ability to systematize, analyze and apply both traditional and newest methods of dental pathology diagnosis and treatment are key issues of education process.
 As suggests long experience, the conduction of clinical conferences is an effective method of combining theoretical and practical training of specialists. Such kind of independent work includes direct work with the patient, search of modern scientific and practical information, introduction of new methods and technologies of treatment, analysis of the results of treatment, physician-patient and health team communication, writing abstracts, articles, which allows to develop the practical skills more qualitatively. The individual approach to the patient is the most important part of clinical work.
 We aimed to survey the clinical conference’s role in formation of professional competencies at the internship education.
 From the time of foundation and till now the department’s executives regularly handles clinical conferences. Under the leading of teachers, interns are involved in research works based on the principles of evidence-based medicine. During research and treatment, they prefer to use modern methods of clinical and laboratory diagnostics and treatment. Interns have opportunity to be engaged in the research work of the department or into individual research work.
 The preparation of the report involves the presentation, which should represent the relevance of the problem, based on the data of literary sources in the last 5-10 years, the purpose of the study, materials and methods of research, analysis of the results, conclusions. Next must be presented in the clinical case - the purpose of the study, the etiological factors, the pathogenesis of the disease, diagnostic methods, differential diagnosis, modern classifications, clinical symptoms, methods of treatment and the prognosis of the disease.
 The clinical cases allow interns to profoundly work material out, apply knowledge from interrelated specialties, learn new experiences, try to avoid mistakes and wrong actions, make the right decisions after the example of medical errors that have been identified. During the examination of the patient the knowledge of internal diseases, the pathophysiological substantiation of the symptoms, the use of paraclinical examination methods in the structure of the diagnostic algorithm and the development of the correct tactical and therapeutic approach to the patient are updated. The speaker is appointed to report.
 His task is to systematize the material in the final presentation. The main methodological feature of a clinical conference is not only the active participation of interns preparing the report, but also interaction with students. After the report the discussion of the presented material took place, when each recipient can ask questions and participate the discussion on issues. During the discussion, an in-depth discussion of the issues of etiology, pathogenesis, morphology, differential diagnosis, treatment and prevention of a specific disease is possible.
 A properly constructed report and discussion allows interns to memorize the material better, induces further research and work on investigation the problem, since such a range of issues, associations, logical constructions should arise from the doctor in his day to day work. Thus, a weighed combination of different methods and forms of training, complement it with modern innovations and technical capabilities - the way to the formation of specialists with the necessary competencies. The clinical conferences are effective method of theoretical training and acquiring practical skills by interns and way to be involved in communication in the medical society.