Practicum Experiences: Effects on Clinical Self-Confidence of Senior Dental Hygiene Students

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of a 3-week practicum experience on the clinical self-confidence of University of North Carolina (UNC) senior dental hygiene students.

Methods: A mixed methods approach was utilized. Before and after a 3-week practicum experience, UNC senior dental hygiene students (n=32) were asked to complete a 20-statement clinical self-confidence survey based on the dental hygiene process of care. Statements were Likert-scaled, ranging from "not at all confident" to "totally confident." The stratified Mantel Haenszel row mean score test with the subject as strata as a repeated approach was used to assess whether on average across subjects, the pre- and post-surveys had the same mean score. Students were also asked to submit reflective journal entries discussing critical incidents during their practicum experience. Representative comments from students' journal entries were selected as qualitative data to support survey results.

Results: Pre- and post-practicum surveys (31 and 32, respectively) were completed, and all 32 students submitted journal entries. The differences in the row mean scores from pre- to post-practicum survey were statistically significant (p<0.05), indicating an overall positive gain in clinical self-confidence from the practicum experience. Students' journal entries provided comments that supported the quantitative results.

Conclusion: The results suggest that a 3-week practicum experience in dental hygiene students' final semester increased UNC dental hygiene students' clinical self-confidence in the dental hygiene process of care. Dental hygiene administrators may want to consider the benefits of requiring students to participate in a practicum experience if they do not already do so.