IADR Abstract Archives
How Dental Students’ Career Goals and Outlooks Changed in Light of COVID-19
Objectives: The COVID-19 pandemic has changed everyone’s life in some shape or form. While a lot of research has examined the pandemic’s effects on practicing dentists, no research has investigated COVID-19’s effects on dental students, the future of dentistry. This study aimed to: (1) determine how dental students’ career goals changed as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, and (2) determine how level of comfort and perceptions towards providing dental care changed amidst the pandemic.
Methods: A survey was sent out via email to all pre-doctoral students at Columbia University College of Dental Medicine. The survey included questions regarding changes in desired specialty, practice location, and practice type, as well as questions regarding comfort level and perceptions towards providing dental services amidst a pandemic. 158 students responded to the survey (N=158). Data was uploaded into excel and summary statistics were extrapolated from all data. A chi-square analysis was used to examine differences between each class’s reported preference changes.
Results: Career goals such as desired specialty, practice location, and practice type did not change for majority of respondents. However, when comparing the classes amongst each other, third year dental students showed the greatest tendency to have changes in their preferences (p< .05). Students perceived there to be a tolerable level of risk associated with providing dental services during the pandemic at their dental school.
Conclusions: Overall, we believe these results convey that dental students are expecting the effects of the pandemic to subside. They are not factoring the pandemic into their decisions about career and ability to treat patients. This may be due to students' beliefs that protocol will be implemented to adapt to the new way of life amid the pandemic.
Methods: A survey was sent out via email to all pre-doctoral students at Columbia University College of Dental Medicine. The survey included questions regarding changes in desired specialty, practice location, and practice type, as well as questions regarding comfort level and perceptions towards providing dental services amidst a pandemic. 158 students responded to the survey (N=158). Data was uploaded into excel and summary statistics were extrapolated from all data. A chi-square analysis was used to examine differences between each class’s reported preference changes.
Results: Career goals such as desired specialty, practice location, and practice type did not change for majority of respondents. However, when comparing the classes amongst each other, third year dental students showed the greatest tendency to have changes in their preferences (p< .05). Students perceived there to be a tolerable level of risk associated with providing dental services during the pandemic at their dental school.
Conclusions: Overall, we believe these results convey that dental students are expecting the effects of the pandemic to subside. They are not factoring the pandemic into their decisions about career and ability to treat patients. This may be due to students' beliefs that protocol will be implemented to adapt to the new way of life amid the pandemic.