College of Dental Medicine (CDM)—Predoctoral Program 2024–2025 100 Intellectual, Conceptual, Integrative, and Qualitative Abilities These abilities include measurement, calculation, reasoning, analysis, and synthesis. Problem-solving—a critical skill—requires all of these intellectual abilities. Candidates and students must have critical-thinking ability sufficient for good clinical judgment. This is necessary to identify cause/effect relationships in clinical situations and to develop plans of care. In addition, candidates and students should be able to comprehend three-dimensional relationships and to understand the spatial relationships of structures. An individual is expected to be able to perform multiple tasks in a dynamic, highly competitive, and challenging learning environment. Examples include, and are not limited to, identification of cause/ effect relationships in clinical situations, development of treatment plans, transferring knowledge from one situation to another, evaluating outcomes, problem-solving, prioritizing, and using short- and long-term memory. They must be able to think quickly and accurately in an organized manner, despite environmental distractions. All individuals are expected to meet their program requirements on a satisfactory level as determined by HPD administration or the applicable college/program administration. Visual Candidates and students must have visual ability sufficient for observation, assessment, and rendering of treatment necessary in patient care. It must be consistent in many cases with being able to assess asymmetry, range of motion, and tissue texture changes. Dental medicine students must have sufficient visual ability to use dental instruments. It is necessary to have adequate visual capabilities for proper evaluation and treatment. Candidates and students must be able to observe the patient and the patient’s responses, including body language and features of the examination and treatment. Students must be able to read and write prescriptions, consultation letters, patient information, and dental product information. Dental medicine students must be able to observe a patient accurately, at a distance and close up, interpreting nonverbal communications while performing dental procedures or administering medications. A student must be able to perform dental examinations and treatments that require the use of sight and touch. The student must be able to see fine detail, focus at a variety of distances, and discern differences and variations in color, shape, and texture that are necessary to differentiate normal and abnormal soft and hard tissues. A student must also possess the visual acuity to read charts, records, radiographs, diagnostic images, small print, and handwritten notation. Tactile Candidates and students must have sufficient tactile ability for physical assessment. Dental medicine students must be able to deliver appropriate treatment using high-technology equipment, such as dental drills and surgical instruments. Students must be able to use tactile senses to diagnose directly by palpation and indirectly by sensations transmitted through instruments. Examples include, and are not limited to, detection of dental hard- and soft-tissue conditions, use of hand instruments, and performance of palpation for purposes of intraoral and extraoral exam. Sensory Candidates and students must be able to acquire information through demonstrations and experiences in basic science and dental science courses. Such information includes, but is not limited to, information conveyed through a variety of mechanisms, including, and not limited to, microscopic images of microorganisms and tissues in normal and pathologic states, and demonstration and skill exercises of techniques using dental models. A student must be able to acquire information from written documents,
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NDE4MDg=