Open Collections

Nguyen, Kristie

University of British Columbia

Objectives: This study investigated the attitudes, knowledge, and behaviours of first-year Doctor of Dental Medicine (DMD) students toward existing student support resources within the University of British Columbia (UBC)’s Faculty of Dentistry (FoD) and the additional resources needed from the student perspective to inform the development of student support programming. Methods: An online survey was distributed to all 59 first-year DMD students in April 2022. This survey included three parts: 1) demographics; 2) Likert-scale questions inquiring about the perception and utilization of available support resources; and 3) open-ended questions exploring academic and non-academic experiences. A focus group with 5 students followed in May 2022 to further explore the themes emerging from the survey. Results: Forty-six (46) students participated in the survey for a 78% response rate. Survey findings revealed that most student respondents (70%) were familiar with FoD support resources, but only a quarter (24%) of respondents accessed them. Few (26%) were familiar with resources across UBC, and most (98% of total respondents) did not access them. Some (26%) felt stigma prevented them from accessing resources within and outside the FoD. More respondents who identified with the pronouns she/her knew who to contact for academic support in comparison to respondents who identified with the pronouns he/him (70% vs. 53%; P=0.029). No statistical significance was found between age and utilization of resources (P=0.071). Survey themes that emerged from qualitative analysis included: challenges with transitioning into a professional program, imposter syndrome, stigmatization of accessing resources, suggestions for increasing mentorship with senior DMD students, and unfamiliarity with existing resources. Focus group respondents elaborated on their experiences and challenges, including recommendations for further support for student needs. Conclusion: Grounded in the student voice, this study informs future support programming and development of student support systems at UBC and other institutions. Recommendations include improving awareness of the availability and purpose of support resources within the FoD, and expanding peer mentorship opportunities to include senior DMD students.

Text

2023-11-23

Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International

http://hdl.handle.net/2429/86654

Craniofacial Science

University of British Columbia

UBCV

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/