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Dental Residency Program
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Advanced Education in General Dentistry (AEGD)
The Stratton VA Medical Center, part of VA Health Care Upstate New York, is located in Albany, the capital of New York State. The medical center provides primary care, wellness and preventive outpatient care, and comprehensive primary, secondary, and tertiary inpatient care in medicine, plus a full range of outpatient service. The hospital is accredited by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Health Care Organizations. As an acute medical-surgical hospital, the center also serves as a regional head and neck cancer care referral center, having an active Otolaryngology Service, Radiation Therapy Center with stereotactic radiosurgery/ IMRT capability, and Medical Oncology and Hematology Services.
Program Description
The Dental Service conducts a year long Advanced Education in General Dentistry Program, accepting three residents annually. An optional second year of training is available, the resident then serving as chief resident. The residency program has been active continuously since 1959 and is fully accredited by the American Dental Association Commission on Dental Accreditation. As an integral part of the hospital, the Dental Service has an important role in serving as part of the Cancer Committee, Tumor Board, Long-Term Care Committee, and answering consultations from other services such as Cardiology Service and Infectious Disease, to name a few.
The Stratton VA Medical Center AEGD program is a demanding, highly structured program. The dental resident spends approximately 60% of his/her time in the dental clinic rendering comprehensive care to ambulatory care patients. Our patient population is diversified in character, though mostly male. Patient profiles range from healthy young recently discharged veterans to medically compromised patients whose problems may include oral cancer, cardiac, respiratory, endocrine, renal and/or neurological complications.
The rest of the dental resident's time (40%) is divided among the following areas:
| Dental inpatient and same day surgery care |
6% |
| Operating room |
6% |
| Off-service rotations |
14% |
| Seminars |
14% |
Patients eligible for treatment are assigned to the residents for comprehensive care. Due to the nature of dental eligibility, a resident's ability to complete a comprehensive treatment plan for an eligible patient is not based upon the patient's ability to pay for their dental care. Therefore, the dental resident will have ample opportunity to render fixed prosthodontic care as well as molar endodontics and periodontal surgery. All aspects of dentistry are practiced with the exception of pediatric dentistry. The residents work with a chair side assistant in developing their own daily patient schedule, except for scheduling appropriate patients when consultants in periodontics are in clinic. Quarterly evaluations assure a good caseload mix. Residents also treat patients presenting for emergency care. |
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