Self-perception of final-year students at the Dr René Puig Bentz Dental Clinic of the Pedro Henríquez Ureña National University (UNPHU) regarding their competencies in the management and administration of dental clinics.
Description
The growing influx of new professionals into the dental workforce has intensified competition, creating a need to develop distinctive skills—such as management and administration—to achieve professional success. In this context, the practice of dentistry requires a well-rounded profile that combines clinical skills with administrative abilities to ensure the sustainability of the practice. This quantitative, descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted using a survey to assess students’ self-perception of their management and administrative competencies. The hypothesis posited a high or low perception; however, the results showed a predominantly intermediate level. The highest-rated dimensions were human resources and leadership (M=3.82; SD=0.95) and marketing (M=3.71; SD=0.99), indicating recognition of certain competencies, though without a perception of complete preparedness. The overall evaluation of the training received averaged 3.74 (SD=0.96). In contrast, the areas of finance (M=3.41; SD=1.03) and administration and management (M=3.36; SD=1.04) received lower scores, indicating opportunities for improvement. No statistically significant differences were identified based on gender or clinic level, suggesting a consistent perception among participants. Although students recognize the importance of business management and express interest in strengthening their training, a limited understanding of practical aspects is observed, particularly regarding financial indicators, accounting, and personnel management. Overall, the findings reveal a gap between current academic training and the administrative competencies required in professional practice, highlighting the need to reinforce management education within the dental curriculum.
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The data for this study were collected using a structured questionnaire designed to assess final- year dental students’ self-perception of their competencies in the management and administration of dental practice. The instrument was adapted from a questionnaire previously validated among dentists, adjusted to the context of students who are not yet practicing professionally, and validated by an expert in the field, specifically the director of the UNPHU emprende Center and instructor of the Private Practice Administration course. The study population consisted of 68 final-year students at the Dr. René Puig Bentz Dental Clinic of the Pedro Henríquez Ureña National University, of whom 68 students who met the inclusion criteria participated. The list of participants was provided by the School of Dentistry administration. Initially, data collection was conducted digitally via the Google Forms platform, distributed via email; however, due to a response rate of less than 50% in this phase, a complementary strategy of in-person administration on campus was implemented, which allowed the entire required sample to be reached. The collected data were organized in Microsoft Excel and subsequently processed using IBM SPSS Statistics 25 software, which was used to perform descriptive analyses, including frequencies, means, and standard deviations, as well as chi-square tests to assess differences between variables. The instrument consisted of 25 items distributed across various dimensions related to dental management and was evaluated for reliability using Cronbach’s alpha coefficient, yielding a value of 0.933. This result indicates excellent internal consistency, demonstrating high homogeneity among the items and adequate precision in measuring the construct of interest. Consequently, the instrument is considered highly reliable and appropriate for assessing students’ self-perception regarding their management and administrative competencies. The combination of these methodological procedures including instrument validation, the mixed data collection strategy, and the use of recognized statistical tools ensures the quality, consistency, and reproducibility of the results obtained.
Institutions
- Universidad Nacional Pedro Henríquez UreñaNacional, Santo Domingo