A new assessment for today’s dental graduates
Introduction
Within the Royal College of Surgeons of England the two dental Faculties (Faculty of Dental Surgery (FDS) and Faculty of General Dental Practice (UK) (FGDP(UK)) exist side by side to promote high standards of patient care through education, training, assessment and research.
Currently each of the Faculties has its own membership examination. The Diploma of Membership of the Faculty of Dental Surgery (MFDS) was designed to support broad-based postgraduate education and general professional training and serve as the intercollegiate entry requirement to recognised specialist training programmes.
The Diploma of Membership of the Faculty of General Dental Practice (UK) (MFGDP(UK)) is the first level diploma of the FGDP(UK) and the starting point for the career pathway within general dental practice. This examination was designed to test the knowledge, skills and understanding required for general dental care in practice. It also seeks to recognise the achievement of an appropriate standard of patient care and a commitment to lifelong professional development.
With the advent of Modernising of Medical Careers1 there has been a change in the way postgraduate medical training is delivered. This change has been driven by the need for more flexible training pathways tailored to meet service and personal development requirements. One of the key elements in Modernising Medical Careers is the Foundation Programme which consists of an integrated two year programme of general professional training following initial medical qualification. This programme achieves a set of pre-defined, published competencies and outcomes within a two-year timeframe and prepares recent medical graduates for future careers in either general practice or specialisation.
Within dentistry the General Dental Council and the Department of Health have shown interest in ‘modernising dental careers’ along the lines of the medical model. The Department of Health (England) asked the UK Dental General Professional Training (GPT) Liaison Group to undertake the development of a curriculum for Foundation Programmes in dentistry in the UK. As a result of the work of this group, the publication Competencies for UK Dental Foundation Programmes in the UK has been produced. The competencies defined in the publication will inform the curriculum, educational content, training requirements and the expected outcomes of all dental graduates who complete a Foundation Programme (GPT).
It is evident that Foundation Programmes in dentistry will become mandatory in the near future, with the Department of Health signalling its intent by releasing funding this coming financial year. Whilst there will be some form of assessment of completion of the programme, there will also be a requirement for a formal assessment and a qualification as a marker of the standard reached at this point in a dental graduate’s career. The dental Faculties at the Royal College of Surgeons of England have sought to provide a modern, educationally sound assessment in its new examination - MJDF.
This MJDF qualification may become a desirable requirement for entry into postgraduate training programmes generally, including specialist training, and will be the starting point for the FGDP(UK)’s career pathway for general dental practitioners.
Aim of the new joint exam
The aims of the new joint examination (MJDF) are to assess knowledge after completion of a two-year Foundation Programme (GPT) for all dental graduates, whether they are pursuing a career in general or specialist practice. The examination will also assess an understanding of the structures and processes required to provide quality assured dental health care.
In replacing the existing MFGDP(UK) and MFDS the Faculties are providing a modern assessment which makes a significant step towards work-based assessment of knowledge, application of knowledge and competencies in line with the principles of the Postgraduate Medical Education and Training Board (PMETB).
Structure of examination
The assessment will consist of two parts, (Part 1 and Part 2), alongside a portfolio of work-based evidence of achievement which will present candidates with the opportunity to demonstrate their acquisition of key skills acquired and developed in the work environment.
Portfolio of work based evidence
This element of the assessment will consist of a portfolio presented by the candidate demonstrating knowledge and application of knowledge in respect of skills key to the general professional environment experienced by the practitioner in this period. These may be assessed by the Faculties. Alternatively, the assessment may be carried out locally with the support of postgraduate dental deaneries and the Faculties’ local networks. The portfolios of work based evidence will be quality assured by examiners from the two Faculties. Completion will be a requirement for the award of the qualification.
Part 1
The Part I assessment will be one three hour written paper consisting of multiple choice questions and multiple short answers questions. This will constitute a test of knowledge of all aspects of the curriculum and will also provide an assessment of critical appraisal of research literature.
Part 2
The Part II assessment will be in the form of an objective structured clinical examination (OSCE), providing assessment of application of knowledge, competence and philosophy guiding practice.
Included in the Part II assessment will be a number of Structured Clinical Reasoning OSCEs.
Information will be given to candidates relating to a clinical case and there will then be time to assimilate the information. There will then be short structured discussions with examiners about the case with the examiners.
Further details of the examination and guidance to candidates are available from the FGDP/FDS websites
Summary
The Faculties believe that the new examination will provide a modern fit for purpose, innovative assessment for today’s young dentist. The introduction of a work-based portfolio removes the reliance on traditional tests of knowledge, and together with the OSCE elements allows for triangulation of methods to test the areas set out in the general professional training curriculum. The Faculties also hope that the lesser reliance on traditional examination methods and assessment of work based experience will also have greater meaning for young dental graduates.
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