Q&A with Dr. Marwan Recap

Missed the Q&A? Don’t sweat it. Watch the full recording of our presentation down below:

The occurrence of COVID-19 has undoubtedly caused shake-ups within the Canadian dental landscape. From the upcoming NDEB schedule to how trainees have adapted to online methods of teaching, we wanted to equip internationally-trained dentists with the knowledge to help navigate through these changes.

So, what are the key things to understand about all of these new changes? That was the subject of our recent live Q&A with our Chief Learning Officer and lead instructor, Dr. Marwan Al Rayes. 

Here are some of the key takeaways from our live Q&A: 

NDEB Exams: 

The NDEB has been very impressive in how they have handled a lot of concerns and rumours in regards to future exam dates. Here is what we learned about what is in store for our courses:

Assessment of Fundamental Knowledge (AFK): The NDEB has cancelled their August exam and has postponed it to December 16, 2020. The February 2021 exam will continue on as planned. For the December exam, we will have a unique comprehensive review course that is structured specifically for the postponed exam. The course will include access to all the main features of the regular course such as live lectures, review lectures on and mock exams.

Assessment of Clinical Judgement (ACJ): The ACJ exams will take place in September and November of 2020. We will also have a condensed course to accommodate those that will be taking the rescheduled ACJ exam in September. This course is designed to deliver complete ACJ content for new students or returning students who need a refresher close to the exam date. The course will consist of 4 mock exams and 4 mock discussions. Lectures will be held online but the mock exams will take place on campus. 

The ACJ Condensed course will also consist of ACS components which will be delivered in a form of 4 weekly webinars that are scheduled post-exam. Including the ACS module, the course is 13 weeks in duration which will also make you eligible for CESB, if needed. 

Assessment of Clinical Skills (ACS) : The scheduled ACS exam will take place December 2020 and   our course will begin on July 13th.

The NDEB released a schedule of all dates for the exams that will take place for the remainder of 2020 into 2021 that can be found here.

ACS in the lab:

The COVID-19 pandemic created a situation that was difficult for most industries to operate in. For us the clinical skills lab posed a particular challenge as our trainees spend a lot of time in our labs and traditionally worked in close quarters with instructors and fellow trainees.

During the lockdown, we implemented new ways to check students’ work that we found worked so well, we will be adapting our ACS course in order to keep those changes. Those changes include, using HD cameras to do work-check and live online demos, and online one-on-one sessions between trainees and instructors. 

With ACS being one of the more hands-on courses, there will be some new changes and techniques put into place. We went back and looked at the regulations of the Royal College of Dental Surgeons of Ontario and had in-depth conversations with officials who are in agreement with the changes to our facilities. We have installed air purifiers and acrylic barriers in the labs to allow for more isolation, trainees will have their temperature taken upon arrival, masks and gloves will be required at all times for both trainees and staff when in the labs and around the office, sanitization stations will be available.

Online options will still be available for ACS courses. 

OSCE and Written Exam: The OSCE and Written exams will take place in September 2021. You can find more information about our upcoming OSCE and Written courses here. 

CESB:

With Prep Doctors now being a certified educational institute, some of our trainees may qualify for the Canada Student Emergency Benefit (CESB). We have received many questions about qualifications and we strongly urge those interested to view our handy CESB guide that can be found on our blog. Use the link below to check it out:

https://ca.prepdoctors.com/qualify-for-cesb/