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General Practice Residency Certificate Program

Program History

The UNC GPR program was established in 1975 as one of the first 2-year programs nationwide. The large majority of graduates have successful private practices in general dentistry. Others have continued with advanced dental training. Graduates have also gone on to run hospital-based and community dental programs, work for the military and veterans affairs medical centers, taken federal government administrative positions, and obtained full and part-time academic positions in dental schools. Beginning in July 2005, the program converted to a 1-year program with an optional second year to meet the demands of current dental school graduates.

Program Goals and Objectives:

The overall purpose of the program is to train dental residents to deliver humanistic, and comprehensive dental care as part of a health team, with full consideration of the patient's medical, psychosocial and dental needs.

Goals of the first year curriculum:

To develop a clinically competent generalist, capable of providing comprehensive care to various patient populations in or outside of the hospital environment.
To provide experiences in comprehensive health care, primary care, emergency care, and operating room care along with providing community service.
To allow the residents to interact with an interdisciplinary health care team and with other professionals and support personnel in a variety of care delivery situations.

Goals of the second year curriculum:

To provide the opportunity for professional development as a clinician, teacher, and/or administrator.

Objectives of the first year curriculum:

To gain additional experience in providing comprehensive dental care to a variety of populations.
To gain experience in providing general dental treatment to medically complex patients.
To develop additional diagnostic and clinical dental skills in prevention, periodontic, restorative dentistry, pediatric dentistry, endodontics, prosthodontics, and oral surgery.
To gain proficiency in medical risk management, as it relates to dental treatment, through the development of history taking and physical diagnosis skills.
To provide dental treatment in a variety of settings such as a hospital ward, dental clinic, operating room, emergency room, and community clinic.
To function effectively in providing dental care to hospitalized patients.
To work together and communicate with other health professionals involved in the care of patients.
To be a contributing member of a multi specialty health care team.
To develop an understanding of conscious sedation pharmacological agents and techniques used in general dentistry.
To increase knowledge and skills in the management of medical emergencies during dental treatment.
To achieve certification in advanced cardiac life support (ACLS) skills.

Objectives of the second year curriculum:

To gain proficiency in care delivery in the operating room setting.
To gain experience in clinical teaching and residency program administration.
To develop leadership skills.
To expand the knowledge base and experience in General and Hospital-based Dentistry beyond the level achieved in the first year through additional elective rotations.

Last modified: 07/30/2007 at 10:37:35