TRADITIONS OF COMPETENCY-BASED TRAINING AT THE DEPARTMENT OF THERAPEUTIC DENTISTRY OF POLTAVA STATE MEDICAL UNIVERSITY

Abstract

The organization the educational process in the higher education implies the formation of critical competencies in students that require the adoption of new approaches in terms of designing practical classes or sessions, the grounds for selecting teaching tools to develop competencies and elaborating criteria for their assessment. The purpose of this article is to discuss the significance and correlation of professional knowledge, skills and professional competencies formed in the process of teaching dentistry disciplines at the university. At the Department of Therapeutic Dentistry there is a high potential in fostering fine competencies in a wide range of dentistry manipulations. The students are taught to broaden their cognitive capacity (gaining knowledge); they are instructed on how to apply specific knowledge through the various kinds of profession-focused activities, i.e. to improve skills. Much attention is also paid to the creative aspect of dentistry education, and creative capacity is defined as the ability of dentists with sufficient standardized knowledge and competence to adapt effectively to different situations based on basic expertise. This is the reason why creative capacity should be viewed anew in the field of medical education. Moreover, the students have to learn the key core cultural issues as well as must be educated to avoid stereotyping, but to also be aware of normative cultural values that can affect their relationship with patients or colleagues. The analysis of the available methods aimed at the sustainable implementation of the competency-based approach at the Department of Therapeutic Dentistry has demonstrated the valuable experience of many years in holistic health-care professional training.