The Impact of Service‐Learning on Two Groups of South African Dental Students

Abstract

Service-learning has become an important component in the education of medical and dental students around the world. Dental students at the University of Witwatersrand, South Africa, provide dental services to rural communities via the Phelophepa train or a Public Oral Health Facility (POHF). The Phelophepa train is a mobile primary health care facility offering dental, pharmacy, nursing, and medical services provided by health professions students. The objective of this study was to determine the impact this experience with service-learning has had on dental students. Final-year dental students in 2008 and 2009 participated in the study by completing a self-administered questionnaire. There was a 100 percent response rate (N=55) on the demographic questions and a 98 percent response rate (N=54) on the opinion questions. Students on the Phelophepa train performed more extractions and examinations than those at the POHFs. Most students (95 percent), both on the train and at the clinics, reported that their clinical skills and efficiency had improved, and 96 percent felt more aware of the communities' needs. Almost all the students (96 percent) reported that the experience had helped them define their personal strengths and weaknesses. Complaints they mentioned included large numbers of patients (87 percent), long working hours (60 percent), and equipment being inadequate (48 percent) or not working (40 percent). This program positively impacted these students and enhanced their personal growth and social responsibility by exposing them to the needs of rural and urban communities in South Africa.

O agir em competência para o cuidado especializado na saúde bucal

“…Além de adquirirem maior confiança na realização dos mais diversos procedimentos da cínica odontológica 31,32 . Currículos com programas de integração ensino serviço permitem aos estudantes um melhor entendimento das necessidades da comunidade 33 .…”

“…Essas experiências têm se mostrado muito valiosas tanto em volume quanto em diversidade, contribuindo para a maturidade clínica dos estudantes 34,35 . Um estudo realizado com 55 estudantes da Universidade de Witwatersrand, África do Sul, avaliou suas percepções a respeito das experiências com integração ensino-serviço e encontrou que 95% dos alunos reportaram melhoras em suas habilidades clínicas 33 . Reflexão é uma característica central da integração ensinoserviço em que o objetivo pedagógico não está apenas em aumentar os conhecimentos e habilidades clínicas dos alunos, mas em facilitar o seu desenvolvimento pessoal e profissional 13,20 .…”

Mobile Versorgungseinrichtungen zur Stärkung der Versorgungssicherheit im ländlichen Raum? Eine Analyse von Konzepten und Implementationsanforderungen

“…So werden Praxiseinsätze für Studierende angeboten, damit diese Expertise in der ländlichen Versorgung entwickeln können (ex. [20,[28][29][30][31]). Anzumerken ist aber, dass die Personalakquise und -sicherung auch für die mobilen Versorgungseinrichtungen eine zentrale Herausforderung darstellt [22,30,43].…”

“…Auch hat sich die Möglichkeit, eine mobile Einrichtung ohne Termin aufsuchen zu können ("walk-in-Prinzip"), bewährt (ex. [20,34,37]).…”

“…Für die Analyse wurden Artikel, die den Einsatz von mobilen Einrichtungen in der Primärversorgung beschreiben, prioritär ausgewählt, ebenso solche, die Aufschluss über Implementationsanforderungen erwarten ließen. Um die Übertragbarkeit der Erkenntnisse auf die Situation in Deutschland zu verbessern, wurden bevorzugt, aber nicht ausschließlich (Ausnahmen: [16][17][18][19][20]) mobile Einrichtungen in industrialisierten Ländern eingeschlossen. Nach erster Lektüre haben die Autorinnen und der Autor insgesamt 49 Artikel inhaltsanalytisch nach einem einheitlichen Raster ausgewertet.…”