The UK College of Dentistry Doctor of Dental Medicine (DMD) Program is a student-centered program. Our faculty and staff are dedicated to ensuring our students are successful by providing as much assistance, resources, and services as possible to help students complete their degrees with the skills and knowledge needed to practice as a highly competent dentist.
Support services for dental students, from pre-matriculation through graduation, are provided by the college's Office of Academic and Student Affairs. The office has an open-door policy and staff are available to assist students. The office provides information relating to admissions, financial aid, student life, and services available to all students.
The Office of Academic and Student Affairs provides guidance and support for current DMD students in navigating the DMD curriculum. The college’s Academic Advisor serves as an additional layer of student support to aid in providing support and guidance relating to student success, and as a liaison to direct students to resources.
Students can schedule appointments with the Academic Advisor to discuss academic progress, develop soft skills like study strategies and time management, and receive personal support. The advisor also offers referrals to campus resources and career services for comprehensive guidance. Students should meet with their Academic Advisor at a minimum of at least once a semester to discuss academic, career, and personal progress throughout their DMD program.
Students are also assigned a Faculty Advisor upon enrollment. In the third and fourth years of the DMD curriculum, when students are primarily in the student clinic, the role of a Faculty Advisor becomes crucial. Faculty Advisors provide essential clinical guidance and support, helping students navigate their hands-on experiences and improve their skills. Additionally, students can rely on their Faculty Advisors for both clinical and post-graduate support, discussing progress and future career plans regularly.
UKCD’s DMD program is an intense, professional school program. Students take heavy course loads full of stimulating, foundational science and dental courses. Sometimes these courses can pose challenges for even the brightest students. Thus, we provide peer group and one-on-one tutoring, for both didactic and hand skills, to assist our students in commonly tough courses.
Cost of Tutoring: Tutoring is provided free of charge to our students.
Who Tutors: Upper-class dental students, who have successfully negotiated challenging courses.
Group Tutoring Sessions: During group tutoring sessions, several tutors will be present to meet with students and assist them one-on-one and/or in small groups with course material and/or hand skills. Group tutoring sessions often take place three to four days in advance of any exams, practicals and/or projects. Additional tutoring is offered multiple times in advance of exams, practicals and/or projects for extra challenging courses and hand skills.
One-on-One Tutoring: Students on academic probation and/or who have had their course directors request a one-on-one tutor for them can receive individual assistance.
Student dentists can tutor their peers on the content of the DMD curriculum, offering valuable academic support and clarifying complex topics. However, some of the most helpful tutoring resources they can provide are soft skills, such as time management, note-taking, and test-taking strategies. These skills are essential for successfully navigating the rigorous curriculum and can be incorporated into private tutoring sessions. By integrating soft skills coaching with academic tutoring, student dentists can help their peers develop comprehensive strategies for academic success.
Many graduate programs require more time management skills and different learning and study strategies than students have used before. Students often find themselves somewhat unprepared to balance everything. UKCD provides the below resources.
Learning and Study Strategies Inventory and Learning Styles | One hour, two-part seminar. Part one provides an overview of the LASSI, and how to interpret/use LASSI results to improve academic skill sets. Part two offers an overview of different learning styles and how to connect one’s learning style to the instruction they will receive at UKCD. Students will complete a learning styles assessment and participate in group discussions.
Active Note Taking | Students are provided with effective means for taking reading and lecture notes, as well as how to combine these notes for studying. Also, students are afforded material on converting notes into study aids for exams. Students will complete a note taking exercise and participate in group discussions.
Forming Effective Study Groups & Utilizing Resources | Geared toward informing students about choosing good study group members, students are provided with information on effective ways to prepare and run study group sessions. The seminar will provide students with additional study aids to utilize for academic success. Students will complete short group activities and participate in group discussions.
Test Taking Strategies/Coping with Test Anxiety | One hour, two-part seminar. Part one provides different test taking strategies. Part two focuses on describing testing anxiety and its causes/symptoms, as well as on healthy and effective coping mechanisms. Students will complete a short term and long term goal sheet and participate in group discussions.
Selecting Main Ideas & Information Processing | This seminar covers how to select main ideas from text and presentations, as well as how to efficiently and effectively process this information. Students will watch a short video, complete a selecting main ideas activity and participate in group discussions.
Time Management | Students will learn how to efficiently and effectively structure their daily lives, including personal, social, and school related activities. Students will participate in group discussions.
The Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire (MSLQ) is an assessment tool that evaluates students' motivational orientations and their use of learning strategies. Dental students can use the MSLQ to identify their strengths and areas for improvement, allowing them to develop effective study habits and enhance their academic performance.
University Health Service (UHS) provides comprehensive medical care for UK students. Through the mandatory Health Fee, full-time students receive unlimited office visits for primary care, behavioral health, gynecological services, physicals, and more.
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The Counseling Center assists students in developing a life of meaning and purpose by promoting psychological, interpersonal, academic, and career wellbeing. Services are free and confidential. They serve undergraduate, graduate, and professional students.
The Triage, Referral, Assistance, and Crisis Support Program is a comprehensive initiative designed to provide immediate support and effective intervention for individuals experiencing various forms of mental health issues and/or crisis. Bridging the gap between immediate needs and long-term solutions.