Dear Doctor,
Thank you for your interest in becoming an adjunct faculty for the Bartram Dental Assisting School. This is an important part of our students’ training and is required for their graduation. To complete the course and graduate, the student is required to extern in a dental office for at least 60 hours. They may begin their externship upon completion of their coursework.
It is necessary for the student to have ample work experience with the doctor and with patients to gain the confidence they need to find a job after their externship. The doctor must ensure that the student is actively working with patients, and completing all procedures on their externship evaluation form. If you prefer that they do not perform certain procedures with patients, you may have them observe you and your team, but we highly encourage their active participation.
While we realize that the student will work with many members of your team during their experience, we have found that it works best if one team member is assigned to the student as a mentor in addition to the doctor. The mentor will help oversee the daily activities, be the main point of contact for the school, be responsible for evaluations, etc. If well organized, mentoring only takes minutes a day, while at the same time gaining the services of a student’s accumulated abilities. Mentors must fill out the Voluntary Adjunct Faculty Application and the Externship Commencement Form completely, and sign and date. If the mentor is not the doctor, the doctor must also agree, and sign and date. At that time you will be given a copy of the evaluation forms for implementation.
Enclosed you will find the necessary paperwork to be signed and returned. The Voluntary Adjunct Faculty Application and once matched The Externship Commencement Form must be returned immediately to allow you and the student to begin the experience. An evaluation of the student’s performance will be given to you at the end of their experience with you. Please keep in mind that they will not be able to graduate unless these forms are returned.
Thank you again for your role in ensuring that the students have a quality experience and enter the workforce prepared and excited about their new career.
Sincerely,
Jason D. Lewis, DDS
School Director