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
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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)