1. Additional Externships Beyond the Fourth Year Service Learning Experiences Policy

Subject: I. Academic – A. Student Affairs

Department: Dental Public Health

NOTE: Additional Externship beyond the Fourth Year Service Learning Experiences see Dr. Swank and Dr. Manski

Origination Date: September 16, 2015 Revised 2/3/16, 5/25/16

Purpose: Defines procedures and steps necessary for students to participate in an externship experience beyond the required Fourth Year Service Learning Externship.

Policy and/or Procedure:

The Fourth Year Service Learning Externship is a three week clinical rotation that provides students with the opportunity to experience dental practice in a setting outside of the dental school. This applies to all fourth year dental students. A link to this policy can also be found here: Additional Externships beyond the Fourth Year Service Learning Experiences (PDF)

Additional Externships beyond the Fourth Year Service Learning Experiences

Students wishing to participate in externships service learning experiences that fall outside of the required, year 4 service learning experience should adhere to the following protocol to obtain permission from the Dental School. The Dental School wants to support students in these endeavors, when there is no conflict with other academic or clinical responsibilities, and when students make the necessary advance arrangements and secure appropriate authorization in advance. These arrangements and authorizations require coordination with several different entities within the Dental School, and are the responsibility of the student seeking the opportunity. The student should:

Submit a written request to Dr. Patricia Meehan, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs. This request should include the dates that the student is proposing for the experience, the site, and the specific activities that the student wishes to undertake. If the student will be missing any regularly scheduled academic assignments, or clinical activities those should be delineated, and the strategies for addressing those responsibilities should be outlined. If clinical activities will be affected, the student will need the approval of their GP Director and Dr. Louis DePaola, Assistant Dean of Clinical Affairs. Dr. Meehan will make the decision regarding whether the student’s absence can be approved.
The student should consult with Dr. Scott Swank, Externship Program Coordinator, to determine whether the Dental School has a current Affiliation Agreement with the proposed site. Affiliation Agreements are required in order for the Dental School’s liability insurance carrier to cover the student’s activities at the site.
If there is no current Affiliation Agreement with the site:
1. The student may request that an institutional Affiliation Agreement be established. This request must be submitted in writing to Dr. Scott Swank, Externship Program Coordinator. Institutional Affiliation Agreements generally take two to three months to complete.
2. If an institutional Affiliation Agreement cannot be established, then it will be the student’s responsibility to obtain their own liability insurance.
The extramural site documents requiring signature by the Dental School will be signed by Dr. Manski and Dr. DePaola, Assistant Dean of Clinical Affairs.

SAMPLE LETTER TO EXTRAMURAL SITE:

Dear _____:

I am writing regarding an externship for one of our students ____(name)____ who wants to do an externship at your (location name and Department).

The externship has not yet been scheduled.

I have attached the Agreement Template that we normally use for our student externships. Please let me know if this would be an acceptable Agreement for ______________. If it is not, please let me know what would need to be changed in the Template for it to be acceptable and send it back to me to review.

If you are not the correct person to contact regarding this, please advise me who would be the person I should contact.

Thank you for your assistance.

Sincerely,