The Wisconsin approach to faculty development in geriatric dentistry

Demographic and dental trends in late 20th century America have resulted in a great demand for expertise in geriatric dentistry. In schools of dentistry, this expertise has translated into increased focus on the needs and management of the older dental patient. The goal of the dental component of the Medical College of Wisconsin Faculty Training Project in Geriatrics for Physicians and Dentists was to recruit dentists committed to the health issues of the elderly and help them to acquire the clinical, research, education, and administrative skills and knowledge necessary for careers in academic dentistry. Each trainee received advanced training in dentistry; was under the mentorship of a fellowship-trained dentist and geriatrics-boarded physician; and shared numerous training experiences with a physician geriatric fellow, to the enrichment of trainees of both disciplines. Clinical experiences involved lecture- and seminar-based didactics and treatment of a variety of populations in several care settings. Research experiences centered around a mentored investigation and were supplemented by course work. Education and administration learning experiences included didactics in both subjects, opportunities to plan and provide lectures to different audiences, and an administration project. Program evaluation focused on progress, process, and product assessment; the results of a competency self-assessment instrument developed by the project's evaluators demonstrated program efficacy in all areas.