In a dental office, the receptionist's desk is the control center. But most dental students don't learn how to work with receptionists until they start their own practices.

Some students get pointers from videos or textbooks during practice management courses, but that's it—until now.

Case Western Reserve University School ofDental Medicine students will be a step ahead of many of their professional peers now that the school has reorganized its clinical experience around nine new patient care coordinators who function much like receptionists in private practices.

Each patient care coordinator works with a mini group practice within the school's larger dental clinic. The clinic, which serves the campus community and general public, is located on the ground floor of the dental school on Emergency Drive.

Robert Hirsch, associate professor of dentistry and assistant dean for clinical education, said this restructuring has Case's dental school on the cutting edge: Students are no longer required to complete a certain number of dental procedures but rather provide sequenced comprehensive care for patients and demonstrate clinical competence by successfully passing a battery of clinical exams.

Students entering the dental school now are assigned to a mini practice with its own office setting and reception area. Through these practices, students have opportunities to work with some of the same patients throughout their four years of dental school and develop patient-doctor relationships. They also learn the interpersonal skills needed to manage a practice that includes a receptionist and hygienist.

Each patient coordinator is part of a preceptor team that includes a faculty member, who oversees and monitors the dental procedures by Case students in the clinic, 15 students and 700 patients.

In a private dental practice, the receptionist makes approximately 20-30 appointments per day for 2,000 patients. At Case, the coordinators book about 45 patients a day for each group of 15 students. Patient coordinators also maintain and file patient charts, coordinate the patient recall system, monitor treatment plans, follow the progress of dental lab cases and act as patient advocates.

And students aren't the only ones to benefit from this new system, according to Hirsch.

In the past, patients, who make 55,000 annual visits to the dental clinic, have had difficulty reaching their student dentists through a main switchboard, which fielded all calls. In the new system, patients are given information cards and can call their mini practice's patient care coordinator, who has a direct line and a computer setup with students' schedules and appointments.

New patients to the clinic continue to call 216-368-3200 to set up an appointment.

Return to the online edition of the 12-18-03 Campus News.