Development of a rural outplacement programme for dental undergraduates: Students' perceptions

Abstract

Objectives: To describe the development and implementation of a new rural dental outplacement module in the final year curriculum and report initial student perceptions. Methods: The Melbourne Dental School, University of Melbourne, introduced a required 4-week rural outplacement [termed Rural Dental Rotation (RDR)] in July 2006 to provide education and clinical training to all final year students. Seventy dental students (Bachelor of Dental Science and Bachelor of Oral Health) were rostered in groups of 6 - 10 students to Shepparton (Victoria, Australia), from July 2006 to June 2007 for 4 weeks per group. Students were introduced to the culture and oral health needs of the indigenous popula..