Risks Challenging the Dental College Students - Essay Example

Risk Management Plan

• Introduction

Tertiary institutions have always put little emphasis on the establishment of favorable conditions that can attune to student success. The main focus is therefore the ability to obtain a substantial degree without focusing on the conditions in which the presumed academic success could be attained. The dental health college students for instance face a number of risks ranging from social, financial and personal problems which are in most instances not significantly considered. The current and future academic generations are designated to witness great changes therefore cumulating the need for society to be able to embrace the change and work in handy with the students in order to ensure their academic success under favorable conditions. Over time, a number of researches have been conducted regarding the well-being of students in college drawing to the attention of the public the many problems that the students face. Ranging from the incapability to raise enough funds for school fees to the lack of adequate learning materials to facilitate some courses, the risks faced by dental health college students are numerous. Little effort about the proper management of such risks has seen the dental healthcare field realize depreciation in the number of adequate professionals with sufficient expertise regarding the dental health field (Harper & Davis III, 2012). This problem has meant the inability of worldwide dental victims to be served accordingly and receive sufficient treatment because of limited professionals. As such, the discussion below expounds on the risks challenging the dental college students drawing the causes as well as generating a risk management plan that colleges in dental health, the government, and other discussed parties could adopt in order to save the students from college dropout and other associated consequences.

• Background and Purpose of the Study

Tertiary education is faced with a number of challenging factors that affect both the students and the institutions. Studying dental health care for students is a complex area that requires a number of conditions and needs because the students deal with dental cases which are in most instances difficult to understand. Thus, the students in dental colleges carry out extensive studies and understanding of the dental layout of the human person which is a skill-based and time-consuming practice that requires patience and other humane attributes. Such practices at times involve practical studies which require the students to have personal encounters with dentally patients as part of their academic journeys which might be difficult therefore discouraging them. Additionally, the family background and the general social experience of the students is an important aspect among the dental college students. The academic surrounding and the environments at colleges also play significant contribution to the spiritual college students through acting as motivational sources for success among the dental college students (Harper & Davis III, 2012).

• Limitations of the Study

The process of managing risks adopted in this study will have an impact on the financial planning and other processes for dental colleges therefore having a potential financial impact on the colleges. Other college practices such as organization are as well likely to be affected.

• Risk Management: Definitions and Conceptualization

Risks are the problems that are associated with any given field of study. Academic services, just like any other field of knowledge are not exceptional to a number of risk factors which tend to slow down the success and progression of activities. The incumbent nature of the educational correctly the college education sector exposes it to a number of risks that affect the students. Risk management can be conceptualized as the systematic approach to risk evaluation through a number of valuable steps and process aimed at eliminating the risk (Harper & Davis III, 2012). Therefore, I would adopt the risk management plan that will deal with the identification of the risks facing the dental college students, the statement of the likely causes of the risk and recommendation about the probable plan of action that should be adopted to manage the risk. Risk management needs to be the approach on a beneficial perspective in order to minimize the consequences of the risk which might harm different parties. The risk management process applied in the context of the dental college students is a six-step process that involves identification of the hazard, identification of the risk, assessing the risk, risk control, process documentation and continuous monitoring and reviewing the risk management process.

• The Process of Risk Management

The entire process of risk management refers to the identification, analysis, evaluation and development of strategies for managing and mitigating risks. The process consists of planning, analysis and regular monitoring.

• Planning

Risk management starts with the setting and planning for the process. The key participants, the objectives and other factors are considered during the planning process.

• Risk Analysis
• Identification of the Likely Hazards among Dental College Students

Hazards refer to the conditions which are likely to infer potential damage. College students are united from a multiplicity of genders and ethnicities as well as other background classifications. Such differences, especially among the dental college students, are likely to act as negative contributors to the success of the students through a number of ways. Among such conditions in dental health, colleges include the existence of racism through differences in skin color and gender, the presence of nightclubs and bars around the dental health colleges as well as the huge fees that the students in dental colleges are supposed to pay (Joann, 2015). Furthermore, the existence of hazards such as the expensive within and without college housing, lack of adequate training facilities and tutors as well as the inability of the learning institutions to foster academic discipline and discourage negative behavior contributes to the existence of risks among the dental college students. Through the identification and understanding of the above-enumerated hazards, the risks associated with the dental college students are more likely to be brought into deeper understanding and preparation for dealing with and controlling the risks that are more likely to emanate from such hazards.

• Risk Identification

Identifying the risks that the students in dental colleges are facing is important in the entire process of risk management. Dental colleges have many students, therefore, making the process of identifying the risks facing the different students difficult. Firstly, it is significant for the establishment of an understanding of the likely causes of the risks among college students in order to arrive at the given risks. In order to achieve this, it is therefore presumed important that a review of the existing records concerning problems in dental colleges is done in order to establish a well-founded relationship between the institutional events and problems in order to identify the risks. Among the major causes of risks in dental colleges include but not limited to poor family backgrounds, bad peer influence, inadequate learning and training facilities as well as discrimination in the institution (Joann, 2015).

In addition to the establishment of the cause factors of risks, it is paramount to also identify the risks in order to help the risk management team to establish good plans of action for dealing with the different risks. Identification of the risks follows the established factors that cause the risks which generate the foundational problems for risk management. According to research, the major likely risks that can be eminent among the dental college students are as follows (Joann, 2015). First, the inability of some dental college students to raise enough tuition fees to facilitate their studies which result from the diversity of family incomes among the students. Additionally, the existence of inadequate colleges for training the vast number of students who are interested in studying dental health care at tertiary level poses a challenge to the dental college students. Also, the students might find it hard to cope with studying dental health because of their poor performance in secondary institutions which lay a thin foundation for the study of dental healthcare. The students are as well at a potential to face the risk of harmful laboratory tests which might have an influence on their health.

Furthermore, the students in dental colleges might face the problem of drug addiction due to negative peer influence which has a negative impact on their academic results. Intuitively, the dental college students might also suffer the risk of inadequate training due to insufficient tutors and practical experiences which boost their experience in dental healthcare. Consequently, the dental college students might also face the risk of disinterest in their college course due to the negative career choices and influence from the family and friends which might impact negatively on their academic performance. In addition, the students are likely to face the risk of unaffordable housing which results from the expensive housing within the colleges and outside the learning institutions, therefore, implying the inability by students to acquire substantial accommodation facilities. Further, the students are discouraged by the existing stereotypic beliefs about the dental health care field such as inadequate jobs, therefore, limiting the number of students who would wish to be dental healthcare practitioners and professionals. Such risks, coped with the risk of lack of enough awareness about the importance of studying dental health at the college level are known to be the constant limitations to the progression of dental health care in tertiary earning institutions (Joann, 2015).

• Risk Assessment

The process of managing risks not only involves identifying hazards and risks but also the assessment of the risks. Risk assessment can be conceptualized as the evaluation of the risk in terms of the probability of occurrence and impact through a number of evaluation procedures. Dental college students face a number of risks as discussed in the risk identification process and therefore it is important that their probability and impact are analyzed in order to establish suitable ways to limit the dangers that might result from the occurrence of the perpetuated risk impact (Strayhorn, 2010). The process of assessing risks can be carried out in two steps. The first step is to understand the likely probability for the risk to occur in order to determine the dangers. Among college students studying dental health, the probability of some students dropping out of college is very high because of the poor family backgrounds as well as drug addiction due to negative peer influence. Such students have their academic journeys cut short because of inadequate capital for studying thus signifying the high probability for immature termination of their academic journeys. Additionally, some associated problems such as the lack of adequate training facilities in the dental colleges are high chances of occurrence because of the increasing numbers of interested students in dental health studies and the increasing globalization which has made the technology widely used equipment in learning. Therefore, it is significant that the risk management team carries out a thorough evaluation of each risk in order to determine the likelihood and chance for its occurrence so as to come up with good plans of action for elimination and or minimizing the risk.

Secondly, the risk assessment process involves the identification of the impacts associated with the different risks in order to establish the probable effect. Through this step, the risk management team will be able to identify the consequences associated with each form of risk in order to prioritize the risks in accordance with the respective disastrous consequences that the risks might cause. For instance, the dental college students are more likely to suffer from the risk of inadequate training services which might render them professionally incompetent unlike other trainees from other learning institutions that offer sufficient and thorough training. Through the prioritization of the risks and careful study and evaluation of their consequences, the risk management team will ensure that the risks which are more likely to cause greater damages are first eliminated and those with minimal impact are tackled last. Therefore, the team will classify the risks as being critical, high, moderate, low and very low according to the nature of the impacts (Strayhorn, 2010).

• Control of the Risks

It is not just sufficient to assess the risks and categorize them according to the nature of their catastrophes. The risks need to be controlled through the risk control process in which the risks categorized as critical or causing great damage are given urgent action. In this step, the risk management team will establish immediate plans of action to be taken in consideration with each different individual risk in order to minimize the impacts. Therefore, the risks facing the dental health students will be regulated in this step (Strayhorn, 2010). For instance, the problem of inadequate training for the dental students will be curbed through the establishment of sufficient training facilities that can accommodate all the dental health students in all the dental colleges. Additionally, dental health organizations should increase and spread more awareness about the importance and benefits of studying dental health at the college level through the use of role models and other methods of spreading awareness. Furthermore, the governments, especially in Britain and Australia, should establish more colleges and tertiary learning facilities for dental health students in order to fulfill the many needs.

Dental colleges and other outside parties should minimize the housing fees for students in order to facilitate affordable accommodation facilities for the students. Additionally, non-governdental institutions, governments, and other well-wishers should join hands in order to generate funds to support the dental health students from poor backgrounds who are unable to generate enough funds for their school fees. Through such humanitarian initiatives, the students from poor backgrounds will be able to continue with their studies and become impassive professionals who can also help other needy students. Additionally, the dental colleges should increase the education and teaching about the negative consequences of drug addiction and abuse in order to minimize cases of drug use among dental health students. Through the provision of harsh punishments for individuals who are found abusing drugs or engaging in drug trafficking in dental colleges, the cases of drug abuse and the related consequences will be minimized and ensure the academic progression of the students in dental colleges. Furthermore, the risk management team should also make reference to secondary documented risks and plans in order to ensure that the risks and their impacts are controlled, and the minimal effect is eminent from the risks. Additionally, the dental institutions should conduct regular checks and test for drug abuse in order to ensure least cases of drug use (Strayhorn, 2010).

• Process Documentation

During risk management, it is important that the process and plans of action are documented in order to ensure that the proposed measures of control are implemented as discussed and planned in order to realize effective control of the risks. Therefore, it is important that the risk management team writes a documented copy of the control measures in order to ensure that the entire process flows smoothly without any further problems. This can include documenting the measures to deal with college dropout, drug addiction, and abuse, unaffordable housing, negative career influences among the other proposed measures of actions to be taken during the risk control stage. Furthermore, the risk management team should also keep adequate records of the process in order to provide substantial evidence of meaningful effort being done concerning the risks (Strayhorn, 2010).

• Review and Monitoring of the Process

In order to ensure that the process of risk management realizes substantial success with minimal setbacks, it is important that the management team carries out regular and periodic monitoring and review of the progress in order to determine whether or not the plans of action taken are fruitful. The progress should be monitored in order to ensure that the process is achieved in the designated timeframe with minimal interference in other areas.

• Conclusion

Summarily, risk management is a complex process that can be broken down into hazard identification, risk identification, risk assessment, control of the risk, documenting the process and finally carrying out reviews and monitoring of the process. Embracing this approach in managing the risks associated with the dental college students will realize efficient results for the risk management team. Many risks affect the students in dental colleges and therefore urgent action needs to be taken in order to deal adequately with such issues.

Reference List

Harper, S. R., & Davis III, C. H. F. (2012). They (don’t) care about education: A counter narrative on Black male students’ responses to inequitable schooling. Educational Foundations, 103-120.

Joann, H. (2015). Identifying At-Risk Factors That Affect College Student Success. International Journal of Process Education (June 2015, Volume 7 Issue 1).

Strayhorn, T. L. (2010). When race and gender collide: Social and cultural capital’s influence on the academic achievement of African American and Latino males. The Review of Higher Education, 33(3), 307-332.