Residency Program

The General Practice Residency at Meriter Hospital is designed to train residents for private general practice, hospital dentistry or application for specialty training. In order to provide a comprehensive program of resident education that is of the highest standard, stressing professional ethics, patient centered care, critical thinking and community service, the goals and objectives of the General Practice Residency at Meriter Hospital are:
  
1. To prepare residents, through didactic instruction and clinical experience, to become providers of comprehensive general dentistry services at a level beyond that achieved in their pre-doctoral education.
2. To train residents to become primary care providers for diverse groups of patients, including those with special needs and complex medical problems, through the delivery of emergency and comprehensive oral health care in a hospital setting.
3. To foster an attitude of community service in residents through the patient care of under-served population groups, involvement in community service activities and patient education, and faculty example that will be continued by the resident after graduation.
4. To increase the resident's ability to effectively manage the delivery of oral health care by instructing him/her in current patient and practice management skills and quality improvement techniques.
5. To instill in residents a commitment to lifelong learning and professional development through the growth of critical thinking skills and faculty mentoring.

Specifically, the program is designed to:

• Increase clinical speed and efficiency in procedures involving all aspects of general dentistry.
• Develop practice management skills.
• Improve diagnosis and treatment planning of all phases of dentistry with respect to administering comprehensive dental treatment in the context of a patient's total health care needs.
• Develop an in-depth understanding of medicine and the relationship between systemic disease and the proposed dental treatment.
• Develop the ability to provide dental treatment to patients with underlying medical conditions.
• Enhance the ability to recognize and manage common medical/dental emergencies.
• Develop confidence in functioning both within a hospital setting and as a member of the health care team via consultation with other health care professionals.
• Develop proficiency in medical history taking and physical examination techniques.
• Enhance knowledge of diagnostic laboratory values and the ability to request and interpret proper tests and values.
• Enhance knowledge of current pharmacological therapeutics and the relationship to dental treatment.
• Enhance knowledge of current dental literature and develop the skill to communicate with colleagues through case presentations and discussions.