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What the SPEC?

What the SPEC?. Why a Student Professionalism and ethics Club can help your school and how to Start your own chapter. Student Professionalism and Ethics Club. Why SPEC?

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What the SPEC?

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  1. What the SPEC? Why a Student Professionalism and ethics Club can help your school and how to Start your own chapter.

  2. Student Professionalism and Ethics Club • Why SPEC? • “The August 2007 issue of the Journal of Dental Education, reports a study by Andrews et al. in which 1,153 dental students were surveyed regarding academic integrity. The results showed that 74.7% of students admitted to some level of cheating. This report, coupled with accounts of students forging faculty signatures on patient charts, performing unnecessary procedures on patients in order to complete requirements and of institutions taking monetary contributions to accept students to specialty programs, among many others, conveys to us that immediate action must be taken.” ASDA White Paper on Ethics

  3. Student Professionalism and Ethics Club • Resolution Number: 303-2009 • Title: Collaboration of ASDA and SPEC • Sponsors: Ray Klein Southern California   Nicola Malik Southern California   AnahitaTaraporewalla Southern California   NimaMirmoghtadaei Southern California   Andrew Seymore Southern California   • Board of Trustees Comments: The Board recommends a yes vote. • RESOLUTION • Resolved, that ASDA collaborate with the Student Professionalism and Ethics Club (SPEC), and be it further, • Resolved, that the ASDA Council on Professional Issues, in collaboration with at least one SPEC founder, determine the most appropriate method of disseminating information regarding SPEC, and be it further • Resolved, that the ASDA Council on Professional Issues, in collaboration with at least one SPEC founder, determine the most appropriate method of starting SPEC chapters at each dental school, and be it further • House Action: Adopted by the House

  4. How it all got started • In May of 2007 the first SPEC chapter was formed at USC. From there it has grown into chapters at schools across the country.

  5. SPEC at USC SPEC Mission Statement: The purpose of this organization is to increase the overall level of ethics and professionalism at the USC School of Dentistry. By uniting the community of students, faculty and staff of USCSD, SPEC will promote lifelong thought and action in the arena of dental ethics. Through various programs, activities and associations, SPEC aims to foster an environment where ethical and professional behavior issues can be addressed in an open, unbiased forum. SPEC aims to further the ethical education of every student at USCSD and help achieve the development of ethical and professional behavior in the educational setting that will accompany the students throughout their professional careers. SPEC also aims to form a student-centered committee to mediate and resolve concerns relative to professional behavior.

  6. SPEC at USC • Is not: • Closed to any student for any reason. • A substitution for the Ethics Committee. Any concerns you bring about student or faculty behavior will remain confidential. • A “policing” body. • Boring …

  7. SPEC at USC • Monthly gathering to discuss the field of ethics, asking questions, and sharing ideas • Bringing renowned speakers in the field to USC as part of the Dean’s Lecture Series • Providing early exposure at 1st year orientation • Acting as student advocates and improving student-faculty relations

  8. SPEC at USC • Amalgam vs composite

  9. SPEC at USC • Recognition and sponsorship from the American Society for Dental Ethics, the American College of Dentists, and the American Student Dental Association • Helping dental schools across the country start their own chapters of SPEC through the use of an Ethics Start-up Kit and advising

  10. SPEC at USC • Catching up with technology • Website: SpecDental.org • SPEC Blog and Facebook page, Group: “SPEC Dental”

  11. SPEC at OHSU • Started in April of 2009 after ASDA passed the resolution to support SPEC. • We wanted SPEC at OHSU to be specific for our school and to get as many students involved in the process as possible. • Step One: “What would students at the OHSU School of Dentistry like to see from an ethics club?” • What does the administration and faculty want to see from an ethics club?

  12. SPEC at OHSU • What did the students want? • Better forum for student teacher communication • More preventive measures put in place to prevent cheating • More students advocacy on the ethics committee, a stronger student voice • Discussions about ethics in a variety of Dental settings • What some common ethical lawsuits brought against dentists? • What are some problems students face in the clinic? • What problems are practicing dentists facing in ethics?

  13. SPEC at OHSU • What the Administration and Faculty wanted to see. • Better communications with the students, ideas on how to prevent unethical behavior. • Ideas on how to better enforce the code of ethics. • See more students discuss ethical issues. • To have students more involved in dealing with ethical problems or situations when they do occur, more students on the ethics committee.

  14. SPEC at OHSU • Declarations Page: Faculty wanted a better way to prevent cheating and uphold the Code of Ethics without making students feel like they are already cheaters. • “As a condition of having my examination scored, I, __________________________(print name), hereby affirm my understanding and obligation to abide by the of the OHSU School of Dentistry Code of Ethics.”

  15. SPEC at OHSU • 1st years designing their own code of ethics • Familiarity with the Code of Ethics • Personal input in the Code • Better enforcement of the Code • Fewer questions and gray areas in the Code • Personal accountability to uphold the Code

  16. SPEC at Your School • What do you as ASDA leaders envision SPEC to be like at your school? • Each school has its own strengths and weaknesses, how will you work with these? • What does your school need? • Do you want to organize case studies in Ethics? • Revise your school code of ethics? • Break the culture of unethical behavior? • Have guest speakers come?

  17. SPEC at Your School • Why start-up a chapter?  “why does ethics matter?” • How do we start?  core group of 10 students and a faculty member.  A knowledgeable club advisor is invaluable when discussing things such as ethics history or theory, or even clinical protocol. • How often to meet? • What about the administration/faculty? • Now what? (What do we do at the meetings?)  ACD (www.dentalethics.org) • Funding –school’s general “club” fund, ACD regional reps, etc • Auxillary Sources of help • SPEC National - Newsletter, Facebook!

  18. Contacts • Facebook (Group: SPEC Dental) • Website: specdental.org • Patrick Corning – Oregon Health Science University • patrickcorning@gmail.com • Nima Mir – University of Southern California • mirmoght@usc.edu

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