MN Community Care recognized as Clinical Training Site of Excellence

A School of Dentistry Outreach site was recognized as a 2020 Clinical Training Site of Excellence by the University of Minnesota’s Office of Academic Clinical Affairs.

Minnesota Community Care, a full-healthcare clinic organization, was one of sixteen sites to receive the award this year. Clinical Training Sites of Excellence are nominated by faculty and program directors, and are judged based on their creativity, flexibility, persistence, role modeling, and transparency.

“This clinical training is crucially important to ensure that our learners expand their knowledge and stay on track toward graduation,” explained Jakub Tolar, MD, PhD, Vice President for Clinical Affairs, when he announced the inaugural cohort of sites.

Susan Buck-Wischmeier, director of the division of outreach at the School of Dentistry, nominated the Eastside Family Dental Clinic, which is operated under Minnesota Community Care, because of their great partnership and their accommodation of many students throughout their programs.

Of particular note was how Eastside accommodated students and their return to clinic amid the pandemic.

Buck-Wischmeier explained, “During the pandemic, Eastside has worked with the School of Dentistry to follow the COVID protocol that has been developed, going above and beyond by providing additional mitigation systems to keep our students and faculty safe, including extra-oral evacuation systems and PAPRs for each student. They were flexible, accepting additional students and adjusting rotation lengths to help us accommodate the need for our students to have external rotations.”

Eastside Family Dental Clinic is one of fifteen sites that partner with the School of Dentistry on outreach opportunities for students. Community outreach experiences are part of the educational experience for all dental, dental therapy, and dental hygiene students. Outreach allows students to develop a broader understanding of the community and social responsibilities they’ll have as dental professionals, treat a variety of diverse patients with various oral health care needs, and engage in interprofessional learning.

All fifteen partners have done an excellent job of accommodating students and engaging with the School to foster educational experiences, Buck-Wischmeier said.

“All our Outreach clinics are exceptional partners and were accommodating during this past year,” she said. “We want them all to know how valuable they are to Outreach and to the School of Dentistry.”

Learn more about the 2020 Clinical Training Sites of Excellence.