ADAPT: a new ADAA Allied Dental Adult Personnel training program: meeting the challenge of dental assisting education: linking education and the dental office workplace - American Dental Assistants Association - Allied Dental Adult Personnel Training program

Dental Assistant, The, Jan-Feb, 2004 by Darlene Eaton Novak

PART I: BACKGROUND FOR THE DEVELOPMENT AND IMPLEMENTATION OF A DISTANT LEARNING SELF-STUDY PROGRAM FOR DENTAL ASSISTANTS

The Need for Change in Dental Education

During the past decade dental literature has stated that one of the most compelling challenges facing the profession of dentistry in the 21st century is developing alternative models of dental education. The American Dental Association (1991) recognized that educational models needed to include innovative allied dental education programs. In 1994, The National Academy of Sciences Institute of Medicine urged dental leaders to cooperate and reform accreditation and licensing regulations and to support rather than obstruct the dental profession's evolution.

In order to provide quality patient dental care in the most economic, efficient, and effective manner, focus must be on an adequate supply of qualified personnel for the dental workforce. This means reviewing traditional, formalized dental education systems that have emerged and implementing alternative methods of education and effective accreditation reform and licensing revision.

While dentists continue to utilize on-the-job-trained dental assistants, educational methodologies can be implemented to standardize the training and allow these dental assistants to advance in their skills through existing academic programs while receiving higher education recognition.

Shortage of Qualified Dental Personnel

In addition to the barriers that have limited essential change and educational access, traditional educational programs have decreased, thereby reducing the number of potential employees and applicants being educated. These conditions have caused an increasing national shortage of entry-level dental assistants.

The lack of entry-level workers and access to education during this decade has further increased the estimates of the Bureau of Labor. However, change offers leaders an opportunity for reform and innovation (Dillon, 1992).

Developing a New Dental Assisting Training Model

Dental assisting is a profession that represents a workforce with a wide range of education and skills. And, as state regulations for dental auxiliary utilization continue to expand, so too does the need for training. It has been noted that education and training are key ingredients to effective human resource development. (Bates, 1994). Therefore, instruction, accreditation, and licensure regulations must work together to support alternative training methods.

Distance learning options can provide access to individuals who live in geographic areas that do not have dental assisting education programs. Self-directed learning can provide an opportunity for potential workers to enter educational dental assisting programs that provide a guided, standardized level of training and an opportunity to enter into higher education as they recognize their ability to advance. Predetermined levels of instruction and completion will provide students with an opportunity to enter training programs at various entry levels of skills and exit at designated completion points to practice.

Performance-based Instructional Design

Performance technology is a competency-based, instructional design. It has been distinguished from traditional education instruction design because of its emphasis on the evaluation of task performance or psychomotor skills. The educational-instruction design emphasizes the application of learning or knowledge, referred to as the cognitive domain, which is also essential to perform tasks. Educational institutions of higher learning have fundamentally been concerned with cognitive learning. Therefore, in many education institutions a performance technology design that focuses on skill levels and proficiency does not appear to fit.

Performance-based education is often perceived to have negative connotations. However, training in psychomotor skills or hands-on education is recognized by institutional accreditation. The ADA Commission on Dental Accreditation encourages cognitive, psychomotor, and affective domains of learning. Both dental and allied dental personnel programs accredited by the Commission require performance-based, preclinical and clinical experience through externship or preceptorship associated with the program.

A Critical Events Training Model

A critical events model has been designed as a human resource development model for training programs (Nadler, 1994). It may appear to some educators that this model lacks an educational basis because it emphasizes training and refers to teaching and learning technical or psychomotor skills. However, as discussed previously, allied dental personnel and students must perform certain psychomotor tasks and skill. All three of the learning domains can be found in education but in different degrees.

The critical events model provides a basis for designing performance-based instruction that can meet the skills, knowledge, and attitude essential for training dental assistants.

PART II: NEW AMERICAN DENTAL ASSISTANTS ASSOCIATION DISTANT LEARNING SELF-STUDY--"ALLIED DENTAL ADULT PERSONNEL TRAINING" (ADAPT) PROGRAM