University of Kentucky community-based field experience: program description.

Community-based field experiences (CBFE) provide students with exemplary experiential learning opportunities. The purposes of this paper are to describe the University of Kentucky College of Dentistry (UKCD) CBFE and report the results of a two-year, self-report survey that assessed the primary course goal, students' perceptions of change in knowledge and skills related to nineteen areas of patient care (n = 90, 100% return rate), and their overall rating of the program. Knowledge and skill data were analyzed using the non-parametric binomial test for comparing proportions. A significant (.05 level) majority of students reported increases in knowledge in all areas to which they were exposed. Descriptive frequencies summarizing the results of the total CBFE experience indicate that the majority of students felt it was a positive experience. The CBFE continues to be a meaningful element in the UKCD curriculum as it provides students with a relevant, authentic educational experience.