Launchpad Live

Win a copy of ‘Cawson’s Essentials of Oral Pathology and Medicine’ - Competition

Student members have the chance to win one of three copies of 'Cawson's Essentials of Oral Pathology and Medicine', worth £51.99. This is a classic textbook for undergraduate dental students: illustrated in colour throughout, the book offers a comprehensive introduction to the pathology of oral disease, its clinical manifestations and the principles of management. 

To be entered into a draw to win one of three copies of this essential textbook, simply tell us, in less than 50 words, what you think of Launchpad Lite. Post your response in the comment box below before the 17^th January 2011 to enter.

Winners will be announced in the next edition of Launchpad Lite.

The book is also available to buy from BDA Bookclub at the reduced price of £42.11, a saving of £9.88.

MFDS, MJDF, FMPA? - Tom Bysouth

The topic of initial postgraduate qualifications is commonly near the top of students FAQ list. So if you want to know your MFDS from your MJDF and what you can do with them, read on. 

From the top: What the letters mean

MJDF RCS Eng

In real words "Diploma of membership of the Joint Dental Faculty of the Royal College of Surgeons of England". This is a fairly new exam and has replaced the Diploma of Membership of the Faculty of General Dental Practice (UK) (MFGDP[UK]) and the Diploma of Membership of the Faculty of Dental Surgery (MFDS RCS Eng). So that's all right then.

MFDS RCS Ed, MFDS RCPS Glas

Diploma of membership of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh, or the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow. Both the Glasgow and Edinburgh colleges' offer the same qualification but you can choose which college you wish to take the exams.

And the differences are?

Not a lot. There is no particular advantage in doing one exam over another. Each exam offers benefits from both primary and secondary care perspectives.

Why should I take them?

Should you have a glance at any of the websites of any of the royal colleges you will see a plethora of reasons as the why you should: number one - take the exam, and number two - take the exam at their particular college. To list a few:

• Career development: although MFDS/MDJF is not mandatory to gain entry to specialist training.
• Enhance job prospects
• Entry to medical school
• Set yourself apart from others
• To gain some more letters (!)

Perhaps one of the most important reasons is for future job prospects, many deaneries operate on a points win prizes (or a job) basis, and having MFDS or MJDF will get you points that could seal the job. The MDJF portfolio particularly helpful here.  Additionally with the various dental schools now churning out graduates at a rate of knots, it's more important than ever to set yourself out from the crowd.

The Exams!

Not even the most optimistic of you could ever have expected to just be able to "click here" and magically own MFDS or MJDF; there is of course the small hurdle of exams to pass, something, given our extensive history of taking exams that us dentists are quite good at!  Both qualifications involve two exam components (more to follow), however the one key difference is that in addition to pass MJDF one must also complete a portfolio of evidence. This is expected to include key skills, audit and contain an up to date CV.

MFDS Part 1: Two written papers of two and a half hours consisting of single best answer, extended matching and short answer questions.

MFDS Part 2: Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) designed to assess patient management, communication skills and professionalism.

MDJF Part 1: One three hour written exam containing extending matching question and single best answer.

MJDF Part 2: Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) aimed at assessment of competence and application of knowledge, alongside a structured clinical reasoning component assessing communication skills and application of knowledge.

Whilst the format of the exams is generally the same across the colleges, the locations available to take the exams can help set the colleges apart. In recent years Glasgow and Edinburgh have both moved to provide additional exam centres for part 1 across the country, with Glasgow having extra centres in Cardiff, Exeter and Newcastle (amongst others) and Edinburgh making use of facilities available in Birmingham.

Will I need to re-mortgage the house to pay for the exams?

The initial outlay for the exams is not a small fee (see table below). So I wouldn't advise signing up to take the exams if you don't think you'll pass.

But beware; if you want to keep the letters after your name you must pay an annual subscription to the college in which you have taken the exams. This varies according to location and employment status, and generally all of the colleges charge a similar amount. I do sense a degree of cynicism from some quarters, and others may be wondering if they get anything back from the colleges for their annual outlay.

Membership at each college offers you the chance to access various research funds, some colleges offer discounted journal subscriptions, Glasgow for example give you free Dental Update.

You can take part 1 (at either of the colleges) as soon as you wish after passing BDS. To take part 2, you must first pass part 1, and have a minimum of 12 months post graduate experience. You are also able to take part 1 at one of the colleges and then change to take part 2 at an alternative college.

To sum up

This is only a whistle stop tour of the options available, should you want more information have a look at the college websites. Given that this is supposed to be impartial I can't tell you which college to go for! Further still, have done the research for this I've found out that there aren't a lot of differences anyway.

I wish to thank Mr Arijit Ray-Chaudhuri BDS MFDS RCSEd MJDF RCSEng LLM, Specialist Registrar in Restorative Dentistry, King's College Dental Hospital and St George's Hospital London for the information relating to the benefits of taking MJDF from a secondary care perspective.

N.B. All information is current at writing, the author is not responsible for any changes.

VT and GPT in Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland has always been a popular place for graduate dentists to do VT/GPT. This year there is a new recruitment process, making it more competitive than ever. Help is at hand with the new BDA Northern Ireland interview guide. Specifically designed to take you through the process step by step, to ensure you have the best chance of success at interview.

To read this essential guide, visit http://www.bda.org/dentists/advice/resources/advice-notes/g-m/g/vt-ni.aspx

The Doctor will see you now - Tom Bysouth

To dr, or not to dr: that is the question:
Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to risk
The slings and arrows of mistaken identity,
Or to stand up against a sea of regulation
And by end opposing them?

"I'm sorry, do you mean my medical practitioner, dentist or that chap over there who has a doctorate in Geography?" A common phrase heard in all dental waiting rooms? Well, those of us who might have taken a look at the GDC's recent consultation on 'The principles of ethical advertising' may think so. This consultation from our regulatory body proposes amongst other things that dentists should no longer use the title 'Dr' in any patient communications.

In the interests of fairness the same document also recommends that only dentists on one of the GDC's approved specialists list may call themselves a specialist. This is something that the vast majority of us would agree with; it should be absolutely clear who is a genuine specialist; having completed the appropriate certified training scheme, as opposed to those who merely have a special interest in a particular topic. Patients should be absolutely clear as to the credentials of the dentist who they wish to consult.

That said; how does the final sentence of the last paragraph apply to the usage of Dr? Wouldn't we all hope that all of the patients sat in our dental surgery waiting room understand that the person they are about to see is a dentist? Surely it's a no brainer?

Foreign colleagues 

If we look to our European and Antipodean cousins, we will see that they all use the title Dr, without as far as I am aware any major problems of confusion. Would it not make some degree of sense to fall in line with our foreign colleagues? 

On the flip side, does it really matter? I think we must stick to the key issue of patient confusion, and not wander off the point, the more this happens the less likely we are to have our views listened to.

There are other arguments I could mention, but I don't wish to go on. Fundamentally I don't think it is confusing our patients to use Dr, as long as in any practice literature; business cards, websites, leaflets etc...we clearly state that we are a dentist. The words "Dental Surgeon" can't be that tricky to understand.