A Message from the Director

Welcome to the Erie County Medical Center (ECMC) Department of Dentistry! Our general practice residency dates back to the early 20th century, long before the American Dental Association formally accredited postgraduate training programs. Not in any way a fifth year of dental school, the general practice residency at ECMC strongly encourages problem solving and independent decision making. At the same time, our program provides ample supervision and guidance by general dentists and specialists to assure feedback and professional growth.

Our attending dentists and auxiliary staff have extensive experience in helping to prepare residents to advance to the next level of their dental careers. Over 12,000 patient visits per year afford the motivated dental resident abundant opportunities to become a confident and competent general practitioner. Residents work with patients in a wide range of ages and medical conditions that may directly impact on their dental care.

ECMC offers experience in special needs dentistry-the management and oral care of individuals with developmental disabilities, with advanced health conditions such as cardiac, behavioral, or compromised immune systems (such as transplant patients) or geriatric patients with complicating conditions. ECMC residents become very confident and competent treating patients with medical co-morbidities and their expertise becomes a resource for area practitioners.

Eight positions will be available on July 1, 2012, with one of the
positions open to a qualified second year resident. The current stipend is approximately $44,500 ($45,000 for a second year
resident) and health insurance is provided. Three weeks of leave time is also provided, subject to approval by the Program Director. The General Practice Residency Program is fully accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA).

I strongly encourage you to investigate the opportunities for the invaluable educational experience available at the Erie County Medical Center Department of Dentistry. I also invite you to contact me via e-mail at cgogan@ecmc.edu or by telephone at (716) 898-3351 if you have any questions about our residency.

Catherine M. Gogan, D.D.S.
Director of Dentistry and GPR Director
Erie County Medical Center

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General Information

The Erie County Medical Center, a Level I Trauma Center in Buffalo, NY, is the sponsor of the general practice residency in dentistry accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation. Each year, up to eight residents are accepted into the 12-month program, with one position available in an optional second year.

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Mission Statement

The mission of the General Practice Residency at the Erie County Medical Center is to provide training for the graduate dentist in clinical, didactic, and hospital-based dentistry, beyond the experience which is provided through the dental school curriculum. The program will prepare residents to provide oral health care for patients with diverse needs, including those with complex medical and socio-economic histories.

Through the delivery of comprehensive oral health care, residents will receive a broad experience in various specialty areas of dentistry, enabling them to be competent and confident primary care dentists in their future practice careers.

The general practice resident will also receive the training necessary to function as a member of the health care team through his/her experiences in the hospital setting. The resident will be able to assess and provide oral health care for the non-ambulatory patient through communication with physicians and other hospital-based staff, and through training in hospital protocols and the use of hospital-based services.

The dental attending staff engages in direct supervision of residents and provides guidance in treatment planning and the use of techniques and materials not experienced in the dental school setting. The attending staff also participates in formal evaluation of the residents and provides feedback about the residents’ skills and judgment. The attending staff will set a standard for the highest possible quality comprehensive care, demonstrate the role of the general dentist in the hospital setting, and function as a mentor as the resident works toward setting and achieving his/her dental career goals.

Dental auxiliary staff supports the mission of the program by interacting with the residents in a manner that inspires confidence from patients. Staff members teach residents appropriate utilization of the complete dental team to achieve the goal of competent, confident, efficient oral health care.

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Overall Program Goals and Objectives

The purpose of the residency is to provide a year of clinical practice and didactic training in one of the most advanced medical facilities in the region. Our newly renovated dental clinic is an integral part of the ambulatory care unit of Erie County Medical Center, a 500-bed regional trauma center, and the training program draws from all resources of the hospital. State-of-the-art equipment includes an electronic dental record, digital radiography and digital intraoral photography. All instruction is supervised by faculty members with hospital or specialty credentials. The goals of the General Practice Residency program at ECMC are to:

• Provide residents with a broad experience in various disciplines of dentistry, both clinically and didactically, enabling them to be competent primary care dentists
• Enhance the residents’ diagnostic abilities, skills, and judgments in clinical dentistry, in order to facilitate competence in comprehensive treatment planning
• Train residents to function as a member of the healthcare team, interacting with physicians and other health-care providers, and to equip them with an understanding of hospital organization and function in order to encourage their full participation as future hospital staff members.
• Provide training that emphasizes critical thinking and the use of scientific literature in clinical decision-making
• Provide a broad range of patient experiences, enhancing resident understanding of patients with complex medical histories, special needs, diverse socio-economic backgrounds, and limited access to oral health care. These experiences will teach the resident about the oral health care needs of the community.

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General Practice
Residency (GPR)