Short and long-term career plans of final year dental students in the United Arab Emirates

BMC Oral Health, Aug 2013

Background New dental schools have been established to train dentists in many parts of the world. This study examines the future dental workforce from the first dental school in the United Arab Emirates [UAE]; the aim of this study was to explore the short and long-term career aspirations of the final year dental students in the UAE in relation to their demography. Method Final year dental students of the Ajman University’s College of Dentistry (n=87) were invited to participate in a self-completion questionnaire survey. Descriptive analysis, chi-square tests, and binary logistic regression analysis were carried out on career aspirations using SPSS v20. Results Eighty-two percent of students (n=71) responded, the majority of whom were female (65%; n=46). Ethnicity was reported as: ‘other Arab’ (61%; n=43), ‘Emirati’ (17%, n=12), and ‘Other’ (21%, n=15). In the short-term, 41% (n=29) expressed a desire to work in government training centres, with Emirati students significantly more likely to do so (p=0.002). ‘Financial stability’ (80%; n=57) and ‘gaining professional experience’ (76%; n=54) emerged as the most important influences on their short-term career plans. The vast majority of students wished to specialise in dentistry (92%; n=65) in the longer term; logistic regression analysis revealed that the odds of specialising in the most popular specialties of Orthodontics and Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery were less for the ‘Other’ ethnic group when compared with ‘Emirati’ students (0.26; 95% CI 0.068-0.989; p=0.04). Almost three-quarters of the students overall (72%; n=51) intended to work full-time. ‘High income/financial security’ (97%; n=69), ‘standard of living’ (97%; n=69), ‘work/life balance’ (94%; n=67), and ‘professional fulfilment’ (87%; n=62) were reported by the students as the most influential items affecting their long-term professional career choices. Conclusion The findings suggest that students aspire to make a long-term contribution to the profession and there is a high level of interest in specialisation with a desire to achieve financial stability and quality of life.

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Short and long-term career plans of final year dental students in the United Arab Emirates

BMC Oral Health Short and long-term career plans of final year dental students in the United Arab Emirates Hazim H Rashid 1 4 Swapnil G Ghotane 0 1 3 Salem H Abufanas 1 2 Jennifer E Gallagher 0 1 3 0 King's College London Dental Institute at Guy's, King's College and St Thomas's Hospitals Dental Public Health , London , UK 1 UAE has an ethnically diverse population of around five million people [5]. In 1997, the College of Dentistry at Ajman University of Science & Technology was the first dental school to be established in the UAE and it is the only institute which has both undergraduate and post-graduate programs [6]. The curriculum of College of Dentistry consists of teaching and learning methods with a strong emphasis on critical problem solving and problem based learning using the multimedia and inter- net as learning information resources, together with practical simulation and clinical training [7]. Since the foundation of this dental school, five more in- stitutions have been established which are accredited by the Commission of Academic Accreditation in the UAE 2 College of Dentistry, Ajman University of Science and Technology , Ajman , United Arab Emirates 3 King's College London Dental Institute at Guy's, King's College and St Thomas's Hospitals Dental Public Health , London , UK 4 Al Dhaid Hospital, Ministry of Health , Sharjah , United Arab Emirates Background: New dental schools have been established to train dentists in many parts of the world. This study examines the future dental workforce from the first dental school in the United Arab Emirates [UAE]; the aim of this study was to explore the short and long-term career aspirations of the final year dental students in the UAE in relation to their demography. Method: Final year dental students of the Ajman University's College of Dentistry (n=87) were invited to participate in a self-completion questionnaire survey. Descriptive analysis, chi-square tests, and binary logistic regression analysis were carried out on career aspirations using SPSS v20. Results: Eighty-two percent of students (n=71) responded, the majority of whom were female (65%; n=46). Ethnicity was reported as: 'other Arab' (61%; n=43), 'Emirati' (17%, n=12), and 'Other' (21%, n=15). In the short-term, 41% (n=29) expressed a desire to work in government training centres, with Emirati students significantly more likely to do so (p=0.002). 'Financial stability' (80%; n=57) and 'gaining professional experience' (76%; n=54) emerged as the most important influences on their short-term career plans. The vast majority of students wished to specialise in dentistry (92%; n=65) in the longer term; logistic regression analysis revealed that the odds of specialising in the most popular specialties of Orthodontics and Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery were less for the 'Other' ethnic group when compared with 'Emirati' students (0.26; 95% CI 0.068-0.989; p=0.04). Almost three-quarters of the students overall (72%; n=51) intended to work full-time. 'High income/financial security' (97%; n=69), 'standard of living' (97%; n=69), 'work/life balance' (94%; n=67), and 'professional fulfilment' (87%; n=62) were reported by the students as the most influential items affecting their long-term professional career choices. Conclusion: The findings suggest that students aspire to make a long-term contribution to the profession and there is a high level of interest in specialisation with a desire to achieve financial stability and quality of life. Dental student; Career expectations; Dentistry; United Arab Emirates - Background The healthcare workforce is an important element of society and a vital resource within healthcare [1], with dentistry being no exception [2]. This essential sector of the healthcare workforce is influenced by the wider context including political, societal, and economic change [3]. Gallagher et al., highlighted potential tensions between student motivation for selecting their professional care and the practice of dentistry; thus, it becomes imperative to understand the opinions and expectations of the prospective individuals to retain a motivated workforce [4]. [8]. Out of the five institutes, two have graduate and masters courses only, whereas the other three institutes have only undergraduate dentistry programs [9-13]. Prior to 1997, there were no dental schools in the UAE and at that time there were about 777 dentists, all of whom had qualified abroad [14]. The development of dental training institutions, together with an influx of foreign qualified dentists, has led to a significant rise in the number of dentists. Over the last decade, the numbers almost quadrupled from 777 in 2000 to 2,916 in 2010 [15]. This increase has resulted in a competition for job opportunities for the new graduates. Moreover, limited availability of postgraduate training centres is an important concern for the graduates who wish to pursue further specialization in dentistry within UAE. In light (...truncated)


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Hazim H Rashid, Swapnil G Ghotane, Salem H Abufanas, Jennifer E Gallagher. Short and long-term career plans of final year dental students in the United Arab Emirates, BMC Oral Health, 2013, pp. 39, 13, DOI: 10.1186/1472-6831-13-39