Safe to speak: Fostering psychological safety among incoming predoctoral dental students

Purpose To describe the implementation and impact of an introductory session on psychological safety for incoming first-year Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS) learners. Methods In August 2020, first-year DDS students participated in a 2-h online instructional session focused on defining psychological safety, the behaviors that promote and disrupt it, and setting expectations for learner and faculty behavior to foster it. Learners worked in small groups to discuss the various components of psychological safety and document their discussion in a collaborative workspace before a large group debriefs. Participants were requested to complete an electronic survey before and after the session to evaluate their change in knowledge, confidence in performing tasks to foster psychological safety, and perceptions about their level of control. Six months after the session, learners were requested to participate in a focus group for additional feedback and reflections. Results Seventy-four participants completed the before and after experience survey. There was a statistically significant increase in knowledge of the components of psychological safety and perceptions of control. In addition, self-reported measures of confidence to perform the tasks increased from an average rating of 36% confident before the session to 86% confident afterward. In the experience, learners were active in their discussion and generated many ideas about behaviors that promote and disrupt psychological safety, which informed the creation of learner and faculty classroom expectations. Conclusion Engaging learners in discussions about psychological safety can be a useful activity to establish expectations and create group norms that may support collaborative learning environments.

Automated summary

Describes the implementation and impact of an introductory session on psychological safety for first-year DDS learners. The session effectively increased knowledge, confidence, and active participation among learners, leading to the establishment of learner and faculty expectations for a collaborative learning environment.