Clinical Education
Introduction
This handbook was written for dental hygiene students and clinical faculty in the Department of Dental Hygiene.
The first edition authored by Susan Willette, evolved in response to the need to replace the original Clinic Manual which was outdated and had not been used for many years. The new handbook proved vital in the calibration of faculty and the enhancement of clinical instruction and student learning. Soon it was apparent that a handbook of much wider scope and depth was necessary. Hence, seven revisions have been made to broaden the scope and update content.
The current edition provides more specific performance criteria, updated charts and forms, and more concise policies and procedures. With this revision, the handbook is better coordinated and organized for application in both pre-clinical and clinical dental hygiene instructions. This manual has been designed as a clinical resource and reference guide for dental hygiene students. The student will be responsible for all information contained in this manual and will use it as a reference for all clinic procedures.
Repeated offenses of any student related procedure would necessitate dismissal from the clinic. The content of this manual includes a comprehensive description of clinical policies and requirements, evaluation criteria and specific objectives for the performance of all dental hygiene procedures. Should changes in these policies/requirements be deemed necessary, the ETSU Clinic Committee reserves the right to make appropriate changes at any time.
Philosophy
The term dental hygiene care is used to denote all integrated preventive and treatment services administered to the patient by the dental hygienist
(1). The ability to plan and execute dental treatment is an art as well as a science. The science can be taught, but the art is a talent that must be developed and nurtured. The student of Dental Hygiene must learn to observe and evaluate signs of oral health and disease, and assess patient reaction and learning. The student must be able to apply principles from the biological, physical, social, behavioral and dental sciences in the care of the patient. It is the philosophy of the ETSU Department of Dental Hygiene that educational and clinical services are mutually dependent and inseparable in the total dental hygiene care of the patient
(2). We believe that care is not done to the patient or on the patient but rather for and with the patient
(3). It is hoped that this approach to dental hygiene will increase understanding and clinical expertise as the dental hygienist engages in the most challenging and rewarding of tasks, that of providing quality patient care which is safe, effective and individualized
(4). Our best wishes are yours as we learn together as the helper and the helped. We welcome your responses and your suggestions.
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