The General Dental Council (GDC) is calling for more people to get involved in its consultation about dental education.
The ‘Learning Outcomes’ project signals a fresh approach to dental education which leads to registration with the GDC.
There are currently two publications which set out GDC expectations – the dentists’ curriculum ‘The First Five Years’ and the dental care professional curricula ‘Developing the Dental Team’.
It is proposed these are replaced with one combined publication.
‘Learning Outcomes’ looks at the knowledge, skills, attitudes and behaviours the registrant must have to practise safely, effectively and professionally in the relevant registration category.
Chair of the GDC Alison Lockyer says: ‘We’ve identified four areas to focus on – clinical, communication, professionalism and management and leadership. ‘Learning Outcomes’ sets out the GDC’s expectations for each different registrant group.’
In writing ‘Learning Outcomes’, the GDC has been guided by the priorities of the government White Paper, Trust Assurance and Safety as follows:
• Safety and quality of care for patients
• Sustaining, improving and assuring professional standards
• No unnecessary burdens
• UK standards with country-specific flexibility
The consultation went live on Monday 13 September 2010 and will close this Friday (3 December). It can be found on www.gdc-uk.org.
Alison Lockyer adds: ‘We always value the opinions and thoughts of the people our work affects. With a project of this size and scope, it’s even more important to ensure we get the message across that we want to hear your views.
‘We’re pleased we have already received some responses but we’d encourage you to find out more and see how you can help us shape the future.’
