Development and Assessment of a Leadership Program for Dentistry Students

Abstract Introduction: The emergence of disparate opportunities and challenges in the twenty-first century emphasizes the importance of leadership training in dentistry. Therefore, a reflective, interactive, and collaborative training workshop in this field can positively improve the pioneer dentists' knowledge, mindset, and skillset. Aims This article aimed to share the foundation of the leadership program, design expected outcomes, evaluate the program's effectiveness in a dental school in Iran, and discuss the importance of leadership skills for dentistry students. Design: We conducted a program design and research evaluation based on a mixed-method approach. A two-day leadership development program was developed and held in Alborz dental school in Karaj, Iran. A group of 20 dentistry students participated in the program. Then, the program was evaluated twice, once just after the program and once six months later, Results 90% of the participants rated the course 4 or higher (4.5 on average) on a 5-point satisfaction scale, in which 1 meant utterly dissatisfied and 5 meant completely satisfied. The highest average score was for the Leadership from Inside-out module (4.55 of 5). In addition, the students rated teamwork practice as the most challenging part and presentation skills as the most influential module of the program. Furthermore, according to this survey, 80% of the students will participate in future leadership programs with high satisfaction, and 95% of the students recommended it as an extra-curricular activity for all students in dental school. Conclusion The program's facilitators provided an exceptional opportunity and psychologically-safe environment for students to learn leadership skills. Training leadership as non-clinical skills can be beneficial for dentistry students, and it can positively affect the dental profession and ultimately effective healthcare systems. Therefore, including voluntary leadership courses in undergraduate and postgraduate dental curricula is recommended.