Assessment of Clinic Journal Writing

Abstract

Journal writing is utilized as a teaching method. It is a reflective project, which should reveal gaps in student understanding yet encourage learning the skills of the profession. The purpose of this study was to garner graduate and faculty input to determine the degree of value, satisfaction, and worth each put on the requirement. Graduates were asked if they thought journal writing gave a clearer picture of patient needs, if it contributed to preparation to practice dental hygiene, if it stimulated an intellectual effort, if useful and positive feedback was given and received, and if journal writing should be a part of the dental hygiene program. Data were collected with 2 survey instruments, one for the graduates and one for the faculty. The response rate for the graduates was 46% and for the faculty 67%. Twenty-five percent of the graduates saw enhancement of their clinical experience, or were able to see a clearer picture of their patients’ needs than those who weren’t. Half of the graduates felt it should not be a part of the program, yet 86% of the faculty did. The variation in answers from graduates may indicate that the numbers are too small to draw any robust conclusions. We conclude that 41% of the faculty were not stressing the value or the performance of this task. The differences in the responses indicate a need to have students utilize the journal writing to their benefit and the need for more faculty members to be involved with the requirement. With more faculty involvement, we anticipate students utilizing this task as an additional learning tool for their clinic experience. A review of the requirement and its benefits will be instituted and necessary for the students to utilize it for its intended purpose.