UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON
General Practice Dental Residency Program
TABLE of CONTENTS
Statement of Intent
This program intensively trains general dentists to understand
and competently manage very difficult medically, mentally, emotionally
and physically compromised adult and child patients utilizing
the resources and facilities of a hospital. Advanced training
is provided in all areas of dentistry to augment the skills acquired
during predoctoral education.
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Program Objectives
- Train the resident to become proficient in patient evaluation,
laboratory diagnosis, medical history and suitable physical assessment.
- Enhance the resident's diagnostic and treatment planning
skills to meet the comprehensive dental needs of the patient.
- Provide didactic and clinical experiences that train the
resident to provide quality comprehensive dental care utilizing
current and innovative technology and theory, regardless of the
patient's medical, mental, emotional, or physical compromise.
- Educate the resident competently to select and apply appropriate
means of pain and anxiety control, including inhalation and oral
and intravenous techniques.
- Provide education about hospital and operating room protocol
so that the resident may easily admit a patient, perform a history
and physical examination, order and assess laboratory tests, consult
with other medical specialists, administer pre- and post-operative
care, and perform treatment in an operating room setting.
- Provide intensive education in the recognition and management
of medical emergencies in the dental setting.
- Ensure that residents learn to diagnose and treat common
dental emergencies, and successfully diagnose and refer more complex
problems to the appropriate medical or dental specialists.
- Develop the resident's knowledge, skill, and confidence
to participate in a multidisciplinary treatment team.
- Enhance the resident's understanding of practice administration
and supervision of auxiliary personnel.
- Develop the resident's ability to retrieve, critically
review and assess pertinent scientific literature.
- Develop the residents' ability to self-assess their abilities and limitations, while motivating them to be inquisitive, continuous students who strive for quality education and self improvement.
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Structure of the Program
This is a 12 month rotating residency in general dentistry. Eight residents are accepted. Our program serves four area hospitals and one community clinic (outlined below) with one or two residents in each location. The University of Washington Medical Center serves as the home base. The program is rewarding and very demanding (residents spend 60 - 80 hours per week with their responsibilities).
The resident's year is spent as follows:
| Subject | Location | Duration |
| General Dentistry | UWMC | 3 months |
| General Dentistry | VAMC | 3 months |
| Pedodontics | CHMC | 6 weeks |
| Pedodontics | OBCC | 6 weeks |
| Oral Surgery | HMC | 6 weeks |
| Anesthesia | ANES | 6 weeks |
University of Washington/Veteran's Administration Medical Centers (UWMC/VAMC)
6 month rotation in General Dentistry (3 months at each site).
During these rotations, the resident is involved with the medical
work-up, management and comprehensive dental care of a wide variety
of compromised patients. Consultations are provided to all medical
services in both hospitals. Typical experiences include: head
and neck cancer patients, bone marrow transplantation patients,
pre-and post- organ transplantation patients, hemophiliac patients,
immunocompromised patients, a wide variety of patients with common
and unusual systemic diseases, mentally retarded patients, phobic
patients, geriatric patients, and physically challenged patients. Significant experience is gained in techniques of intravenous
conscious sedation and restorative dental care of generally anesthetized
patients in the operating room.
Children's Hospital/Odessa Brown Children's Clinic (CHMC/OBCC)
3 month pediatric rotation with 6 weeks spent in each of the two
sites. Odessa Brown is a low-income, well-child clinic where
all phases of pediatric dentistry and behavior management skills
are refined. CHMC provides experience with the medical work-up,
management and rendering of comprehensive dental care to a wide
variety of medically, physically, and mentally compromised infants
and children including diagnosis, treatment planning, operative
procedures, appliance therapy, and operating room dentistry.
Harborview Medical Center (HMC)
6 week rotation in Oral and Maxillofacial surgery. Residents
assist the Oral Surgeons in the ward management of oral surgery
patients, selected orthognathic reconstruction cases, treatment
of emergent and non-emergent head and neck trauma, and assume
the primary responsibility for the Oral surgery outpatient clinic.
Principles of dentoalveolar surgery including flap technique,
removal of impacted third molars, and biopsies of hard and soft
tissue pathology are emphasized during this rotation. Significant
operating room experience is available as well.
VAMC, Department of Anesthesia (ANES)
6 week rotation in techniques of General Anesthesia. Residents
render inhalation and regional anesthesia both under direct and
limited supervision. This rotation introduces the techniques
of anesthetic care, with emphasis on gaining proficiency in patient
assessment, venipuncture technique, patient monitoring, pharmacology
of anesthetic medications, managing emergent situations, post-anesthetic
recovery, and airway maintenance.
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"On-Call" Duty
The program enjoys an active after-hour emergency call service
to the community. As such, the residents have the opportunity
to treat a wide range of emergencies from major maxillofacial
trauma to minor toothaches. Call is handled at both UWMC and
CHMC on a rotating basis. During most of the academic year, dental
students on rotation at UWMC are available to screen and provide
assistance to the resident with both the work-ups and the treatment
of the patients. In return, the residents are able to gain teaching
experience by helping the dental students learn proper emergency
and hospital procedures while on call.
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Didactics
Residents meet for approximately 6 to 8 hours of formal didactic seminars per week, as well as many informal sessions at each site. The didactic series covers a wide variety of topics including internal medicine, physiology, anatomy, physical diagnosis, elements of sedation, medical emergencies, Basic Life Support, Advanced Cardiac Life Support, pharmacology, forensics, intraoral photography, basic and innovative dental procedures, literature review and practice management. We encourage residents to request presentations on topics of interest.
Residents are welcome to register for the continuing dental education
courses at reduced fees sponsored by the Division of Continuing
Dental Education as time permits within the residency program.
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Interviews
On-site interviews are by invitation only and are highly recommended so that you may properly evaluate our program and make the best decision for your postgraduate training. Simultaneously, we want to learn about you so that we may also select outstanding residents. (We consider telephone interviews if you demonstrate hardship in getting to Seattle.)
Interviews will be held on December 13, 1996 and January 10,
1997. Interview invitations will be issued the week of November
20, 1996. Only completed applications will be considered.
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Miscellaneous
- The residency was established in 1965 and has full approval
from the American Dental Association.
- The University of Washington is an equal opportunity, affirmative
action institution.
- Stipend will be $29,232 for the 1997-98 year.
- Professional liability insurance is provided.
- Medical and dental insurance are provided for the Resident
and dependents.
- Two weeks of vacation are allotted. There are some restrictions
on when they may be taken.
- Dental assistants are available at all sites.
- Dental labs perform most of the laboratory work.
- The residency will begin June 26, 1997. All residents must be in Seattle by that date.
- The University of Washington GPR participates in the National Matching Service. All applicants must utilize their procedures and agree to their restrictions. Candidates will be officially notified by the Matching service on February 3, 1997.
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Applying to the Program
Send applications to:
University of Washington
Restorative/Hospital Dentistry
General Practice Residency Applications
Box 357456
Seattle, WA 98195-7456
Deadline for receiving all application materials to PASS and our program is October 15, 1996.