Cymraeg
English It is a requirement of Dental Foundation Training that you have a tutorial of at least an hour once a week, during normal working hours.
The timing needs to be agreed between you and your ESs as time must be set aside which is free from patient appointments and interruptions.
The content of the tutorial will depend upon your learning needs, but some structure is essential. Things which can form a tutorial include these items:
- Review of your e-portfolio
- Looking at the reflective logs for the past week/month. Points for discussion could be:
- Self-assessment: What went well? What were the challenges? What didn’t go well?
- Considering evidence: g. feedback from assessment? Trainer feedback? Nurse feedback? Patient feedback? Unexpected outcomes of procedure? Own feelings?
- Analysis: Describing WHY. e.g. identifying cause & effect for unexpected case outcomes, or identifying reasons why progress may be slow in one competency and fast in another etc.
- Formulating change: Describe the learning outcomes from this exercise. Identify what you will do to address any slow progress or problems.
- Discussing areas of concern, or problems to be solved. These may produce learning needs to be recorded in the e-portfolio
- Discussion of Study Day topics, both past and future study days.
- Tutorial topic for the week plus plans for next tutorials
Remember, for a tutorial to be successful planning is usually required, both by you and your ES. You will benefit much more from tutorials if there is regular discussion as to which subjects you are going to cover.
Tutorials do not need to be about clinical topics. Much of general dental practice is about management, communications, and professional and NHS values. These are subjects which may not have been explored greatly in a dental school environment, and yet which need to be discussed and understood.
Ideally your tutorials will take place in a quiet environment away from disturbance, noise, and interruption. Your practice may well have a dedicated ‘teaching room’ or perhaps an office will be used. Some tutorials, however, are best held in a clinical environment - in the surgery. You may even have a clinical tutorial with you ES acting as a nurse/tutor whilst you treat a patient, or vice-versa.
At the start of the year, you will probably have many ad-hoc clinical teaching interactions with your ES, or with other members of the team. Please don't forget that each of these encounters is a mini tutorial in its own right and demand reflection and learning from yourself if you are to benefit and to grow in experience, wisdom and skill.