An Outcomes Study of 40 Years of Graduates of a General Practice Dental Residency

Abstract

Assessing program quality and outcomes is essential to improve postgraduate dental education. This study's aims were to document career direction and practice patterns of graduates of the Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH) General Practice Residency (GPR), to compare BWH GPR outcomes to those of other American GPRs, and to identify characteristics of the BWH GPR program that trainees valued. This was a retrospective cohort study with a sample comprised of BWH GPR graduates between 1973 and 2013. Outcomes examined included pursuit of specialty training and positions on academic or hospital staff. Data sources were a survey of BWH GPR graduates and published national surveys. Of the 190 BWH graduates (95% of total) who were located and contacted, 133 (70% response rate) completed the survey. Compared to national survey data, BWH GPR graduates were significantly more likely to be specialists, full-time hospital staff, or full-time or part-time dental school faculty. Most BWH graduates (96.2%) ranked the program as outstanding or good. Faculty characteristics were considered by BWH graduates to be the most important factors in judging program quality. Since faculty characteristics were the most important factors in residents' judgment of program quality, GPR programs should recruit, maintain, and develop a quality faculty in order to attract students.