Competency vs number requirements

[BayAreaBae]

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can soMeone explain the pros and cons of having requirements va competencies? Some schools say you have to do a certain number of specific cases to graduate. Other schools say there is no # it’s all bout being competent. So does that mean if you nail the case one time? That covers the requirement and you never have to do it again as a requirement? That sounds scary.. please elaborate on which is better

 

[endorotary]

can soMeone explain the pros and cons of having requirements va competencies? Some schools say you have to do a certain number of specific cases to graduate. Other schools say there is no # it’s all bout being competent. So does that mean if you nail the case one time? That covers the requirement and you never have to do it again as a requirement? That sounds scary.. please elaborate on which is better

I feel that schools that emphasize "competency" based training usually does this because they don't have enough patients/cases to go around for all their students. For example it's scary nowadays how many graduates go through school with minimal root canal cases, but since they did a competency exam on one patient or worse an extracted tooth, they are now qualified to do endo on real patients in the outside world. I feel the more reps you are able to do on any procedure, the better it is during dental school.

 

[cooliyak]

I feel that schools that emphasize "competency" based training usually does this because they don't have enough patients/cases to go around for all their students. For example it's scary nowadays how many graduates go through school with minimal root canal cases, but since they did a competency exam on one patient or worse an extracted tooth, they are now qualified to do endo on real patients in the outside world. I feel the more reps you are able to do on any procedure, the better it is during dental school.

I would say that is only somewhat true. From what I understand, CODA has been stressing “competence” more than numbers (so they said at our accreditation visit) and so schools have been switching from minimum requirements to competencies. That’s good and bad. Good because some of the minimum requirements at certain schools are ridiculous and completely unnecessary (we had to shadow a certain amount of hours and had assisting minimum requirements). Bad because those schools who don’t offer enough experience or who increase their class sizes too rapidly now have an “out” to justify the minimal experience that they offer by only having to claim that you passed your competency. It’s a double edged sword. The spirit of it is great and something I completely agree with. How it is being executed is probably a little sketchy.