Dental residents give remote learning a thumbs-up

Researchers from the University of Rochester Medical Center in New York reported that while most dental residents viewed virtual learning during the COVID-19 pandemic as effective, most faculty disagreed.

The survey included 46 dental residents and 10 faculty members, gathering data on demographics, virtual learning perceptions, burnout, and motivational orientations based on regulatory focus theory, or RFT. RFT elucidates how motivation to either positive or negative outcomes shapes human behavior and achieving goals.

Younger, less experienced residents and those with promotion-focused motivation preferred virtual learning, while older and non-U.S. and Canada-trained dentists favored in-person education, according to the researchers. All respondents preferred hybrid learning, and 52% of residents experienced burnout, with women being more affected.