Challenges in clinical teaching investigated: Towards sustainable staff recruitment and retention in dentistry

Purpose: The study was conducted to identify possible factors and potential barriers that affect the retention and recruitment of clinical teaching staff at the Faculty of Dentistry, University of Otago, New Zealand. Methodology: A short questionnaire survey was distributed to 47 clinical teaching staff to understand the retention strategies and barriers. The collected quantitative and qualitative data were analysed and presented. Findings: The response rate was 96%, with an equal distribution of female and male clinicians. The majority of participants were European New Zealanders. Themes influencing retention strategies were the necessity of formal teaching skills, clinical teaching as a career pathway, pay progression, lack of support and heavy workload. Practical implications: Results suggested that generally the respondents to this survey were motivated to give back to their profession through engaging in dental clinical teaching. This study identified that lack of a career development and minimal pay progression are major factors impacting on the retention of clinical teaching staff.