Methods: Professionalism and communication were included as disciplines in the innovative / contemporary curriculum (Harden, 2005:13). These disciplines were embedded in the curriculum where the learning and teaching of professionalism and communication commences in Year 1 and extends to Year 2 with a discrete module of Professionalism. Professionalism and communication are also assessed through reflective learning journals in Year 2, and specific assessment criteria in the simulation laboratory, the prosthetic laboratory and the dental clinic in Years 2-5. Innovative methods of assessing professionalism were identified and implemented to meet this challenge (Field, et al. 2010).
Results: Student evaluation of the Year 1 and 2 components of professionalism and communication are encouraging and further refinement of the assessment methods in the simulation laboratory, the prosthetic laboratory and the dental clinic is on-going.
Conclusion: The curriculum development and emphasis on professionalism and communication at Griffith University will assist in assessing the training program's effectiveness for accreditation with the Australian Dental Council in line with the Professional Attributes and Competencies of the Newly Qualified Dentist (2010).