Abstract

GOPIE, A M  and  SINGH, S. Developing time management skills of undergraduate students undertaking second- and third-year level dental clinical-based training. Afr. J. Health Prof. Educ. (Online) [online]. 2025, vol.17, n.4, pp.2-8. ISSN 2078-5127.  https://doi.org/10.7196/AJHPE.2025.v17i4.2861.

BACKGROUND. Developing time management skills is an essential yet under-reported aspect of dental undergraduate training. Additionally, there is a paucity of studies that have examined how time management skills developed in undergraduate dental curricula. OBJECTIVES. A targeted curricula review was conducted to identify expressions of time management across the theoretical, preclinical and clinical aspects of the training programmes. In addition, the study compared the extent to which second- and third-year students developed their clinical time management skills. METHODS. A combination of qualitative and quantitative data was used. Phase 1 included a document analysis using a data extraction sheet to capture curricular documents comprising 25 dental therapy and 25 oral hygiene modules. Data were analysed using content analysis. Phase 2 included a self-administered questionnaire to collect data from the identified students (N=90). Both closed and open-ended questions were included. Inferential and descriptive statistics and thematic analysis were used to analyse the data. RESULTS. Phase 1: Two themes emerged from the curriculum review. Explicit statements on time management were in one first-year module, i.e. Academic Skills and Clinical Practice. This module included statements on time management skills and educating students on how to be productive in managing their time at university. Implicit statements on time management were in modules named Clinical Practice in Prevention 1 and 2, and Clinical Practice in Oral Hygiene 1 and 2. These modules indicated that students' time management skills were required for patient management and complete clinical portfolios. Phase 2: The 3rd-year cohort developed higher time management scores (mean 2.91) than the 2nd-year (mean 2.81), signifying a statistically significant relationship (p=0.049). Two major themes emerged from the analysis of the open-ended questions. Participants expressed that time management enabled them to plan, prepare and be punctual and organised to accomplish their clinical tasks. Participants identified the following factors: knowledge of clinical procedures, students' commitment to learning, patient consultation form, punctuality and cooperation of patients, and the waiting period to use radiographic equipment. CONCLUSION. Students' time management skills appear to be developed implicitly in the curricula and mainly through clinical training exposure. Curriculum developers can ensure that time management skills are explicitly expressed in all levels of undergraduate curricula. This would encourage students to consciously develop and apply such skills as part of preclinical and clinical training.

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