Leadership Communication Training: An Essential Part of Dental Education

Abstract

Objective: The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether a newly implemented course of leadership communication in dental education helps dental professionals by providing tools for various career trajectories in academic dentistry and clinical practice.Methods: A new course entitled Communication and Leadership was introduced at XXXX to support the Master’s in Dental Education program. This course focused on developing a strong foundation in topics including public speaking, persuasion, listening, and resolving conflict. Personal interviews and guided reflections were performed with the participants and the responses were analyzed. A survey of the course directors of fifteen advanced graduate education programs was conducted to understand whether they felt the communication and leadership course was important for the students and whether they agreed that it should it be a part of the dental curriculum.Results: The curriculum was extremely well received, and the students were eager to use the tools and techniques provided during the course for their future presentations and communication in leadership roles. One hundred percent of the course directors either agreed or strongly agreed in its value in being added to the dental curriculum; however, they were unsure about available time in the students’ already packed schedules.Conclusion: The results of the analysis of the guided reflections and interview with the students, in combination with the survey evaluation of the course directors’ study, suggested that communication within the dental profession is essential and there are substantial benefits for the course being added to dental education programs.