Title: An audit of the confidence of final year dental students regarding early career pathways at Aberdeen Dental School after an educational intervention
Abstract:
Are final year dental students really prepared for the realities of early career planning? Many final?year dental students approach graduation feeling unsure about their next steps. With the pressure of exams and clinical requirements, it is easy for early career planning to fall to the side. As a result, students often report gaps in their understanding of the pathway to take after receiving their dental degree. This uncertainty can make the transition from dental school into practice feel more stressful than it needs to be. To help address this, Aberdeen Dental School introduced an educational session during Practice Week. The session was delivered by three recently qualified dentists currently working as Dental Core Trainees, who spoke honestly about their own experiences and the decisions they faced after graduation. A short questionnaire was given to students before and after the talk to assess changes in their understanding, clarity, and confidence in relation to early career planning. The audit standard was for at least 70% of students to score three or above on a five?point Likert confidence scale following the session. Before the intervention, just over half of the students (57.14%) felt clear about their post?graduate plans, and 75% felt confident in navigating the DFT/VT application process. After the session, both clarity and confidence rose to 100%, with students commenting that hearing directly from dentists who had recently completed these stages made the information more relatable and easier to understand. This audit suggests that brief, peer?delivered teaching can meaningfully support dental students as they prepare for the transition into practice. Embedding similar sessions more widely may help improve preparedness and reduce anxiety for future graduating cohorts.
