CDA Essentials 2018 • Volume 5 • Issue 6

27 Issue 6 | 2018 | I ssues and P eople Two UBC Dentistry experts weigh in on their respective key areas used to assess Doctor of Dental Medicine (DMD) candidates at an admissions open house. Final applicants rotate through four problem-based learning (PBL) sessions in the morning and eight mini interviews (MIs) in the afternoon. Reprinted/adapted from Impressions magazine, with permission from the University of British Columbia faculty of dentistry. Beyond clinical abilities, a grade point average and test scores, how can you tell who will have the people skills to view a dental patient as a whole person, rather than just someone with a tooth problem to fix? That’s part of the challenge facing UBC Dentistry in wanting to attract “the best and the brightest”—in the words of Dr. David Sweet OC, professor of dentistry and former chair of DMD admissions—to its Doctor of Dental Medicine program. Traditionally, the standard admissions process has involved the same one to three interviewers asking all of the questions, one applicant at a time. Prospective students do not rotate to different rooms, nor face new questioners. Recognizing the limitations of this approach, UBC Dentistry has chosen solo and group dynamics with more variety and more interviewers. Problem-Solving Team Players Wanted Imagine eight would-be dental students, all strangers to each other, discussing a case study they’ve just read: A 50-year-old patient had an antibiotic (two grams of amoxicillin) administered orally 45 minutes ago. Sitting in your waiting room, she tells your receptionist that she is feeling itchy. Then she complains that her throat is tightening. She can’t breathe. Her lips turn blue. What will you do next? How would you determine which students would make the best dentists based on their interactions and responses in a PBL session? “I don’t think there’s some magical process that guarantees you’ll grant admission to the perfect student,” says Leandra Best, a UBC Dentistry clinical professor and senior associate dean. Best oversees the problem- based learning process for admissions that is used to screen DMD applicants. During each rotating 45-minute PBL session, each applicant is assessed by two different faculty, so are seen by eight faculty members overall. For each of four different PBL case studies, the two faculty tutors facilitate interactive discussions among a group of seven to eight applicants. This process is intended to provide a clear picture not only of someone’s professional abilities, but their situational changes in behaviour. Applicants are graded on their potential ability to achieve professional competencies, including “non-cognitive traits.” Beyond reasoning, problem-solving and ability to follow instructions, other factors are assessed, such as group dynamics, body language, tone of voice, listening skills and intuitive ability. Problem-based learning session Heather Conn Ms. Conn is a freelance writer/ editor and writing instructor who lives and works in Vancouver and on British Columbia’s Sunshine Coast.