General Practice Residency

GENERAL INFORMATION

Program Director:  Debra Cinotti, DDS

Clinic Director: Sylvia Rice, DDS

Staff Assistant: Ms. Pam Burger

(631) 444-2557

pam.burger@stonybrookmedicine.edu

The Stony Brook University's General Practice Residency Program was established in July 1, 1980 and has developed over the years into 20 fully accredited one- and two-year positions. Incorporated within the Departments of Hospital and General Dentistry, the Program emphasizes resident training in the treatment of complex restorative problems using a multidisciplinary comprehensive dental care approach, and management of medically compromised patients using an interdisciplinary healthcare team approach.  The residents receive didactic and clinical training in the management of medically compromised, geriatric, and phobic patients, as well as individuals with developmental disabilities and special needs.  Instruction and clinical experience is provided in all areas of general dentistry, with an emphasis on implant, prosthodontic, and esthetic cases.  The clinical component is supported by laboratory technicians, providing in-house state-of-the-art patient care.  Residents work with dedicated hygienists, dental assistants, and clerks, simulating a group dental private practice.

Procedures Performed by Residents

The General Practice Residency Program is an advanced educational program designed to provide clinical, didactic, and hospital experience at the postdoctoral level. The Program goals are as follows:

• To graduate professionals who can manage the delivery of comprehensive oral health care to a diverse population of ambulatory and hospitalized patients.
• To graduate professionals, who are able to consult with health professionals and understand the implications of systemic disease and chronic medical conditions in treatment of the dental patient.
• To advance the residents' knowledge and clinical ability in the management, assessment, diagnosis, treatment planning and treatment of complex restorative cases utilizing technologies that are components of contemporary general dentistry.
• To advance the residents' knowledge and clinical ability in physical assessment.
• To advance the residents' knowledge and clinical ability in techniques used for pain and anxiety control, including oral and intravenous sedation techniques.
• To develop practitioners with the ability to critically review the scientific literature and have the potential to give back to the profession as educators/practitioners.
• To graduate professionals who utilize self-assessment and strive for self improvement in all aspects of patient care.
• To graduate professionals who understand the essentials of practice administration and utilize a team approach to working with auxiliaries and dental laboratories.
• To graduate professionals who have served the community and provided care to the underserved/disadvantaged/low socioeconomic populations.
• To provide a postdoctoral program of clinical and hospital dentistry in a dynamic learning environment that meets the professional and educational needs of the new dentist. 

The educational program consists of both clinical and didactic aspects. Supervised clinical training and the supporting didactic program is designed to provide advanced knowledge and experience in preventive dentistry, restorative dentistry, periodontics, endodontics, oral and maxillofacial pathology, oral and maxillofacial surgery, and dental emergency management.  Residents treat patients with increasingly complex dental and medical problems, such as patients with implant restorations, lost vertical dimension of occlusion, as well as systemic or psychiatric disorders, the developmentally disabled, geriatric, and pediatric patients. The program is designed to ensure that the residents will be capable of anticipating, diagnosing, planning, and treating all phases of dentistry. Service rotations to SBUMC hospital, emergency department, operating room, and anesthesiology department are designed to provide the resident with the skills to manage the needs more medically acute and complex patient.

Medical Track Positions (four)

In addition to the above stated goals, the goal of the medical track is to produce highly educated general dentists with enhanced knowledge in hospital-medicine.  It offers new graduates a medical curriculum to prepare them to enter and succeed in training and specialty programs requiring this background such as: dental anesthesiology, oral medicine, oral maxillofacial pathology, and oral maxillofacial surgery.

The Medical Track position is organized as follows:  All GPR residents function together for the first two months, July and August, participating in the introduction phase clinical and didactic orientation programs.  Starting in September through January, two of the medical track residents will participate in a five month medical rotation.   They will continue to attend the GPR program didactic curriculum, special programs, and participate in the emergency room coverage schedule.  When the first two medical track residents complete this rotation they will return to participate in the regular GPR schedule.  At this time the second two medical track residents will attend and complete their last five months of the program on the medical rotation. The medical track residents meet the GPR program's hospital-based medical experience requirements while on their five month medical rotation.

Resident Responsibilities

Each GP resident is expected to partake of all the academic and clinical experiences offered to them.  This includes, but is not limited to, timely patient care and preparation of assignments, attendance at all assigned seminars, meetings, and ceremonies (this includes the nightly meetings sponsored by the SBUMC Department of Dentistry), and participation in the Postdoctoral Case Presentation Day. Generally, the GPR Dental Clinic runs between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday.  Formal and informal lectures, seminars, and literature reviews are scheduled before and after clinic.  A schedule and listing of resident assignments will be distributed monthly.  A separate schedule for orientation is generated because it differs markedly in content from the remaining 11 months of the GPR Program. Emergency patient care is managed during clinic hours and with a rotating assigned evening/weekend to the SBUMC Emergency Department.  The GP residents are scheduled for educational activities and patient care throughout the academic calendar year (July through June) and are expected to be in attendance.

Each GPR resident will accrue 15 days paid vacation time, one week of which must coincide with the observed winter recess of the School of Dental Medicine, unless assigned to the emergency coverage.  The remaining vacation time may be taken at a time agreeable with the GPR Director and the Clinic Director.  Each resident will also be entitled to all holidays observed by the UUP bargaining unit. The following are the State scheduled holidays to which the GPR residents are entitled unless a specific assignment or emergency coverage has been scheduled as part of the program on one of those days.  In those instances the GPR residents are entitled to compensatory time off in lieu of the day worked/assigned.  The holidays are: Labor Day, Columbus Day, Election Day, Veterans' Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's Day, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, and Presidents' Day.  It is expected that the residents take their vacation time so that it does not interfere with patient care or the educational program.  GPRs accrue sick days during the calendar year to be utilized for illness and medical issues.  In case of illness, please contact the GPR reception desk as soon as possible to allow for patient rescheduling.  Residents must be present for a minimum of 240 days to be considered for a certificate and leave should be planned for accordingly. 

Employment as a PGY1 resident by SBUMC prohibits employment outside the University and professional liability insurance coverage only applies to supervised treatment of patients at the SBUMC, Dental Care Center during clinic hours, and at affiliated institutions. 

As employees of the State of New York, GPR residents are subject to the rules and regulations governing employees as listed in State University of New York at Stony Brook: Faculty and Professional Employee Handbook.  As doctors at SBUMC and the School of Dental Medicine, it is expected that each resident conduct him/herself in a professional and ethical manner in his/her dealings with faculty, staff, other residents and patients of SBUMC and the Dental Care Center.  It is expected that residents will demonstrate appropriate professional behavior and dress during all aspects of their training and serve as role models to the predoctoral dental students. The Program Director and SBUMC work together to ensure a culture of professionalism that supports patient safety and personal responsibility.

Residents and faculty members must accept their personal role in:

–assurance of the safety and welfare of patients entrusted to their care
–provision of patient- and family-centered care–assurance of their fitness for duty
–management of their time before, during, and after clinical assignments
–recognition of impairment, including illness and fatigue, in themselves and in their peers;
–attention to lifelong learning;
–the monitoring of their patient care performance indicators
–honest and accurate reporting of duty hours, patient outcomes, and clinical experience data.

Performance evaluations completed quarterly will critique the residents' professionalism in addition to evaluation of clinical/didactic performance. Compliance with state and federal laws pertaining to drugs, alcohol, weapons, discrimination, physical abuse, and racial, sexual, or sexual preference harassment is expected.  State law prohibits tampering with state property including fire safety equipment, i.e., fire alarms, fire extinguishers, fire bells, etc.  It is impossible to separate the concept of resident freedom or rights from resident responsibility. To this end, it is imperative that residents desiring respect for their rights must also accord other segments of the community the same respect. 

The following contact information and links provide access to the policies and regulations.

Stony Brook University Medical Center Policies: 

http://medicine.stonybrookmedicine.edu/gme/policy

Any questions concerning this policy, or allegations of non-compliance, should be directed to:

Frederick Schiavone, MD
Vice Dean: Graduate Medical Education
Phone: (631) 444-2084
E-mail: frederick.schiavone@stonybrook.edu

Stony Brook University School of Dental Medicine Polices:

Any questions concerning this policy, or allegations of non-compliance, should be directed to:

David W. Paquette, DMD, MPH, DMSc
Associate Dean for Education
Phone: (631) 632-3029
E-mail: david.paquette@sunysb.edu

Commission on Dental Accreditation Policies:

See General Practice Residency Education Program Standards www.ada.org
(under Education and Careers tab, followed by Accreditation tab)

Any questions concerning this policy, or allegations of non-compliance, should be directed to:

Commission on Dental Accreditation
American Dental Association
211 East Chicago Avenue
Chicago, IL 60611-2678
(800) 621-8099 Ext. 4653
E-Mail:  soeldnerp@ada.org   (Ms. Peggy Soeldner)

Stipend / Benefits

The stipend for the GPR Program is equivalent to that of a PGY-1 hospital-based resident.  For the 2010-2011 year is $53,177 plus $2,500 living allowance, in addition to state benefits (paid holiday and sick leave, medical insurance, dental and vision coverage, and prescription plan) and tuition/fee waivers. 

Application and Selection Process

Applicants must have completed or anticipate completion of dental degree training from a dental school accredited by the American or Canadian Dental Association.  Stony Brook University is an affirmative action, equal opportunity employer and educator and encourages the application of women and minorities.  All applications must be processed using the Postdoctoral Application Support Service (PASS) of the American Association of Dental Schools.  The application deadline is October 15^th of the previous year.  The traditional PGY1 residency positions will be offered through the Match program.  Due to the unique nature of the medical track PGY1 residency positions they will be offered outside the Match program.

Program codes are: PASS #626
Match # 8575

Additional Information

• Click here to obtain PASS application