Dentistry Implementation at CSU

Professional Partnerships

In late January 2008, the Dentistry Program advertised for Expressions of Interest (EOI) in Clinical Partnerships with the School. The purpose of the call for EOI's was to gauge the level of interest in the opportunity for dental and oral health practitioners to join in the provision of dental education to our students and concomitantly in the provision of dental services within our communities. This intention was flagged with local dental providers early in the development process and feedback on the suggestion has generally been very positive.

The call for EOI's has now been completed and submissions are being evaluated with external input from a number of professional areas including the ADA(NSW). It is hoped that a variety of partnerships may ensue from the process which will provide our students with a balanced and realistic insight into all elements of practice from private to public.

Though this formal EOI process has been completed, clearly the School will continue to seek to develop mutual relationships with individuals and with groups within the profession. Any ideas and/or suggestions would be gladly received and we would be pleased to discuss issues with interested parties.

Sessional Teaching

The Dentistry Program has received many indications, written and verbal, of the desire of local (and regional) practitioners to be involved in sessional clinical teaching. This is going to form a central tenet of the program that will ensure students experience interaction with their intended professional peers and mentors. It will also give them an opportunity to interact with potential clinical partners for entry into the profession when they graduate.

Not all who seek involvement will have the skills required to supervise and assess students appropriately but we will be looking to provide support to sessional teachers and assist their professional development in that regard. We are now accumulating a list of those who have expressed interest and they will be contacted a little closer to the commencement of clinical teaching. However, we would be very interested in hearing from anyone wishing to be added to the contact list and in what areas they consider their expertise to lay.