As Head of Education and Quality Assurance (EQA) at the GDC, I work closely with education providers and other key stakeholders to ensure the quality of education and training for those working to become a member of the dental team. During the pandemic, we have worked with key stakeholders to produce joint updates for students and those in training posts in the UK on arrangements for dental education and training, while measures were in place to control the spread of COVID-19. Ultimately however, our duty remains to ensure that new graduates fulfil the required learning outcomes in order to register with us.
Different challenges across the UK
The pandemic has no doubt challenged the ability to gain the required amount of clinical experience necessary to ensure that new graduates have the depth and breadth of experience that we expect and require.
Experiences have varied between providers and indeed between countries. At the beginning of the year, dental education providers in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, responded to our survey saying they were confident that, with support, including substantial funding, they would be able to graduate between 80–90% of their final students in the 2020/21 cohort. The system-wide approach taken in Scotland led them to postpone all BDS graduations this summer, with providers working together to develop meaningful programmes and additional qualifications for those undertaking an extra year of study.
Adapting our QA process
Now, at the end of the 2020/21 academic year, we see a very positive outcome with roughly 97% of BDS students from England, Northern Ireland and Wales graduating, above the initial expectation. We also surveyed the remaining dental professional groups in May to check there were no concerns and none were identified.
