Curriculum

First Year

Course 1934, “Intro to Prevention” (fall semester) will introduce students to culture-sensitive health care, the Health Belief Model, and service learning.  Students will plan a service learning experience (examples:  health fair,  presentation to school children,  mission trip, education to a community group about prevention, nutrition, smoking cessation, etc.)  Activity will be planned in the first year but implemented in the second or third year.  Students will implement activity during clinic time and it will count as a clinical activity.  (Answers criterion regarding “level of involvement of dental students in the curriculum and in project leadership.”  This course has 3 Wednesday afternoons devoted to outreach time. On those 3 Wed. afternoons, students will observe at an external site of their own choice (examples:  one of  DB’s external rotations or a homeless shelter, alcoholic recovery center, Acres Homes, SEARCH, Star of Hope), then reflect on their experience.  Reflection can be accomplished in a variety of methods: presentation, short paper, journals, group discussion).   Going to a DB external rotation site will also integrate 4^th and 1^st year students. 

 

Second Year

Students gain simulated experience with people of differing age, cultural, and functional groups via PBL cases and standardized patients in Course 2936. Students also develop interpersonal communication skills necessary for communication with ALL groups of people.  Students begin their clinical experience with patients.  Patients will reflect the diversity of the DB patient population.  Every patient encounter increases patient management skills. 

 

Third Year

The third year will reinforce concepts introduced in first year. Students take “Dental Public Health” course in fall semester.   Students take Course 3935, “Advanced Patient Management,” in summer after third year.  This course deals with diversity and individual learning styles and the health belief model.  This course is currently where they receive most of their info about other cultures.  Every other month there will be a “cultural-sensitive health care” topic at clinic rounds, both for third year and fourth year students.  

 

Fourth Year

There will be no didactic teaching in the fourth year; all experiences will be application.   This year will combine cultural concepts learned in 1^st and 3^rd year with patient management skills learned in 2936 and in working on their family of patients.  Students go to Special Patient Rotation and all external rotations (currently they are:   Mobile Dental Van, Good Neighbor, and Fort Bend Family Health Center.  Bryan/College Station to be developed).Last half day of each rotation will be devoted to group reflection of the experience, led by a faculty member. Objectives for service learning experience and conference will be clear.