The purpose of this study are to find the ways in which the education of dental hygiene relates to clinical practice, to help trainees recognize their duty as a dental hygienist and to perform their work successfully. The subjects of the study are 215 students in the third grade, who had clinical practice at the dental department of a health college in the area of suwon city and Kyung-gi province. The objects of the study are to find out
1) the preferred study environment, 2) the appropriate time period and 3) the duties and the difficulties encountered in the role of a student apprentice.
The results of the study concerning the relationship between the educational curriculum and the clinical practice, as well as between educational curriculum and performed role during the clinical practice are given below
l. The most preferred circumstance for the clinical practice by the practicer is a general hospital 70.2%, and the proper period for the clinical practice is longer than eight weeks 42.3%.
2. The major tasks of the apprentice is assistance in medical treatment 74.7%, and observation of the surgical operation 20.9%.
The difficult things were clinical equipment 42.3%, and relationship with the hospital staff 33.3%.
3. The result of the study on relationships between clinical curriculum practice and the curriculum of the program showed that the educational curriculum could be effectively applied to the clinical practice. Concerning theories in relation to clinical training, x-ray taking and processing oral prophylaxis the practical training is more often applied to the actual clinical practice than in any other clinical program.
4. The major tasks performed by the dental hygiene trainees during their clinical practice are suction 54.9%, cleaning and arranging surgical equipment 48.8%, assistance 43.3%.
5. The longer the clinical practice, term was and the more actual and practical the tasks of the dental hygiene were, the more effective were the results brought. The closest relationship was with the length of the training term.
Especially, it statistically proved how much the clinical practice is related with the education of humanism.(P< 0.05)
6. The roles of the trainees in training did not relate to the number of the tasks programed. Besides suction, tooth brushing instruction and errand, the training brought very effective results; especially, answering the phone, dealing with child patients and arrangement of the chart, take impression. These were tasks during clinical practice.(P< 0.01)
Though the reformation of the school system intensified the clinical practice according to the extension of the program´ s terms from two to three, the dental hygiene curriculum at the vocational college does not have a hospital affiliation, so it delegates the task to a consignor.
The theories of the major curriculum in the school program are efficiently and properly applied to the clinical practice. However, the result of the study shows that there are some limitations, because are considered to be assistants´ role to the dental hygienist and Korean society.
Reformation of the system and cognition for the trainees is required to perform efficient clinical practice, and to insure active and voluntary involvement in the training program.
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