The UNMC Dental Hygiene class of 2020 is the first class in the nation to complete the required clinical licensure examination using simulated manikins.
It took three months from the time the students graduated on May 7 before they would get to take the exam for their license to practice.
“We felt like we were in limbo, just waiting and not knowing what to do,” said Beth Shavlik, a dental hygiene graduate now practicing in Omaha. “There was definitely a bit of pressure from our employers, who were asking when we would get our license and could come join their practice, so it was rough going for a while.”
All of the graduates had secured employment but knew they would be unable to practice until completing the National Board Dental Hygiene Exam (NBDHE) and a required clinical licensure examination.
Due to the restrictions of the COVID-19 pandemic, the dental hygiene graduates were not allowed to take the traditional, in-person patient-based licensure exam and were unsure when they would get the opportunity to do so.
During the last five weeks of the semester when the university campus closed, faculty quickly developed objective, structured clinical examinations to evaluate adjunct procedures such as amalgam marginations and placement of localized chemotherapeutics, among others for the students.
Patient education and caries risk assessments were evaluated during senior case presentations via Zoom. Clinical skills assessment was conducted via individual, two-hour Zoom sessions with faculty focusing on instrumentation technique and identifying weaknesses in students’ skills.
A virtual graduation occurred on time with all of the dental hygiene students having met the requirements of the program.
In the meantime, Gwen Hlava, chair of the department of dental hygiene, and others figured out a way for the students to take the NBDHE.
“It meant that over the course of three months, our graduates would travel to five different states to sit for their NBDHE exam,” Hlava said.
Still, the clinical examination remained in question.
“We had several important conversations with the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services, the Nebraska Board of Dentistry and a regional testing agency concerning the predicament of a patient-based licensing examination and possible alternatives,” Hlava said.
A solution was found through ongoing conversations with Central Regional Dental Testing Service (CRDTS), which resulted in their willingness to administer the simulated patient dental hygiene manikin exam by adapting their dental periodontal manikin examination to accommodate the new graduates.
Approval was obtained from the Nebraska Board of Dentistry to allow the 2020 dental hygiene graduates to complete a manikin exam necessary for licensure, and the exam was held June 26.
“It was a little unnerving taking the exam. No one had taken a manikin exam before and we didn’t know what to expect and things felt different than they would on a real person but in the midst of a pandemic it was definitely a better alternative to not taking the exam at all,” Shavlik said.
Shavlik said that while she was nervous to finally be able to take the exam, it was gratifying to be able to exhibit the skills she had learned and mastered.
“When we got the call it was like a sigh of relief. We could finally move forward,” she said.
“The opportunity to complete this examination eliminated a potential months-long wait for licensure and our graduates are now fully employed,” Hlava said.
This is not how you spell mannequin.
Did they allow ultrasonic /cavitron? Was it tough to go without?