The Career Pathway is an initiative developed and supported by the FGDP (UK). It has been conceived as an opportunity to provide the primary care practitioner with a supportive structure for their continued professional development. The ultimate aim of the programme is for the candidate to work through all the stages and attain the Fellowship of the Faculty (FFGDP [UK]), the highest award the Faculty can bestow upon an individual.
The Career Pathway is open to all dental practitioners, with any level of experience. The only set requirements are a primary dental qualification (i.e. BDS) and Membership of the Faculty.
The Career Pathway has three stages, which are completed in sequential order. The stages are discussed in greater detail below:
Stage 1- Foundation stage
The foundation stage is the first stage along the Pathway. Depending on candidate experience, this stage may be achieved in two ways:
Under 10 years since qualification
The foundation stage is achieved by completion of the MFGDP(UK) diploma or, as of next year, the new FGDP (UK)/FDS RCS Eng intercollegiate MJDF diploma. However, holders of the following qualifications will also satisfy the requirements of the foundation stage, on completion of the MFGDP(UK) Coursework Module/ MJDF Portfolio of Evidence.
Other postgraduate diplomas in a dental discipline will also be considered, subject to the discretion of the FGDP (UK) Credit Transfer Committee.
The equivalence of overseas qualifications (e.g. the Australian MRACDS qualification) will be determined on a case-by-case basis by the Faculty.
Over 10 years since qualification
The foundation stage may be satisfied if you have been qualified for more than 10 years, by completion of the MFGDP(UK) Coursework Module/MJDF Portfolio of Evidence, submission of an up-to-date curriculum vitae illustrating eight years' experience in primary dental care or an approved equivalent, and compliance with the General Dental Council’s continuing professional development requirements.
Completion of Stage 1 of the Pathway accumulates 60 transferable educational credits. 1 transferable educational credit is the equivalent of 10 hours educational activity
Stage 2 - Further clinical and management training
Stage 2 of the Pathway involves the completion of 120 transferable educational credits.
A minimum of 60 of these credits (equivalent to a postgraduate certificate) should be in a clinical area.
A minimum of 30 of these credits should be in the management of practice.
The remaining 30 credits may be drawn from a clinical area, a clinically related area such as research or education and training, or in the management of practice.
Currently these may be satisfied by completion of taught modular programmes.
Examples of taught programmes
Below are examples of modular taught programmes which may be submitted for recognition for the clinical component of the FGDP(UK) Career Pathway. This is not a definitive list, and the Faculty will consider postgraduate programmes that are at the educational level of a Masters degree (Level M) and have been externally quality assured. Where more than 60 credits have been obtained they may be used to satisfy a 90 credit requirement on the career pathway.
To satisfy the management of practice component, participants on the Pathway may have completed the FGDP(UK) Leadership and Management Programme or may submit details of any other externally quality assured programmes such as Diplomas in Management Studies (DMS) or Masters in Business Administration (MBA).
However, the Faculty recognises that there are many practitioners who have already made significant progression in their career development and for whom it would not be appropriate or practical to participate in taught programmes. The FGDP (UK) is therefore working on developing a route to complete Stage 2 of the Career Pathway via an experiential route. Assessment via this route will be on the basis of a portfolio put together by the practitioner, which provides evidence that defined competencies are being met. Frameworks for the demonstration of competencies acquired as a result of work-based learning, training and experience have been published via a collaborative effort between the FGDP (UK) and the Department of Health. The first frameworks to have become available are in the following four areas:
In addition, the Faculty are currently developing a competency framework for leadership and management.
It is these frameworks that will be primarily used to assess practitioners wishing to apply for credits in this way. It is expected that the fully developed assessment will become available in 2007.
Stage 3 - The Fellowship Assessment
The award of Fellowship involves the production of a portfolio of evidence, which includes the satisfactory completion of a practice questionnaire and practice visit. The portfolio will normally be assessed on a visit to the College. The portfolio headings will be made available to all participants as they enrol on the Career Pathway to enable them to accumulate and update evidence for it as they maintain their progress. There will also be a requirement for a final reflective commentary of no more than 1000 words as part of the portfolio, which will form the basis of the final discussion with the Fellowship assessors.
The Career Pathway can be completed in as little as 5 years, but there is no upper limit as to how long a candidate can take to do this. As a consequence, the candidate can organise their career development at a rate that is appropriate to them.
Formal registration on the Career Pathway through the Faculty is now required. To find out how to do this, click here.