Premium
Reopening of a school of dentistry in the era of COVID‐19 pandemic, “Step‐by‐step” approach
Author(s) -
Hasanzade Mahya,
Aminishakib Pouyan,
Hejri Sara,
Kharazifard Mohamma Javad,
Siadat Hakimeh
Publication year - 2023
Publication title -
european journal of dental education
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.583
H-Index - 41
eISSN - 1600-0579
pISSN - 1396-5883
DOI - 10.1111/eje.12789
Subject(s) - pandemic , covid-19 , medical education , dental education , process (computing) , plan (archaeology) , medicine , psychology , dentistry , disease , archaeology , pathology , computer science , infectious disease (medical specialty) , history , operating system
The COVID‐19 pandemic has a great impact on all aspects of higher education worldwide. In Iran, after several months of lockdown, all dental schools coped with the challenge of “reopening.” School of Dentistry of Tehran University of Medical Sciences (TUMS) planned to facilitate the process of reopening using a “step‐by‐step” approach. The aim of this study was sharing our experiences of reopening of the school during the pandemic. Methods TUMS School of Dentistry planned a “step‐by‐step” approach of reopening of school to both provide infrastructure of online education for theoretical credits and reassure all staff and students about infection control for practical courses. Also, a two‐section survey on students’ satisfaction with a variety of aspects of reopening process and the clinical performance of students in different clinical courses was conducted. Results Findings showed 65.1% of the students, attended the survey, were satisfied with reopening of the school. Also, 86.4% were satisfied with the new online method of education for theoretical courses. Regarding personal protective equipment (PPE) provided for the students, 22.9% and 56.5% of them were satisfied and moderately satisfied, respectively. Additionally, 78.2% of the students were satisfied with the newly developed online assessment method. Conclusion Although reopening of schools during COVID‐19 pandemic seems enigmatic for all authorities and students, the “step‐by‐step” plan designed by TUMS School of dentistry including emotional and infrastructural prerequisites might be a reliable method for all people, who are in charge of management of dental school in uncertain crisis.