Additional Declaration (Live Surgery Experience and Mentorship)

This section applies only to participants enrolled in the Live Surgery Experience or the Mentorship Program. In this section, “Mentor” means the AAOSE Mentor or Supervisor assigned to me, and a “Supervised Session” means a procedure scheduled with the AAOSE at which a Mentor is present.

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Registration, insurance and practice

• Registration. I hold current general registration as a dentist with the Dental Board of Australia, and I have disclosed any conditions, undertakings or restrictions on my registration. I will provide the AAOSE with a copy of my current AHPRA registration and notify the AAOSE immediately if my registration status changes.

• Indemnity insurance. I hold professional indemnity insurance that covers the procedures I will perform during the program, including while supervised, and any sedation I provide if applicable. Before booking a patient for surgery, I will give the AAOSE a current certificate of currency. I will maintain this cover throughout the program and notify the AAOSE immediately if it lapses, is restricted or changes.

• Practice owner consent. If I am not the practice owner, before booking the patient I have obtained the practice owner’s written consent for an AAOSE Mentor to be present during, and participate in, procedures on my patients at the practice. I understand that the practice’s own facilities, equipment and insurance apply to those procedures.

• Infection control and immunisation. I comply with the Dental Board of Australia’s infection control requirements, and my immunisation status is current in line with Australian guidelines for healthcare workers, including hepatitis B.

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Patient selection and consent

• Case review. Before booking a patient for a Supervised Session, I will provide my Mentor with the patient’s medical history, relevant radiographs and proposed treatment plan. My Mentor may decline a case at this stage or at any later stage.

• Patient consent. Before surgery or sharing patient records with the AAOSE, I will obtain the patient’s written informed consent. The consent will disclose that I am undertaking supervised training, that an AAOSE Mentor will be present and may direct me or take over the procedure, and that the patient’s clinical information and images may be shared with the Mentor and the AAOSE for that purpose.

• Sedation. Sedation will only be provided by an appropriately qualified practitioner who meets Dental Board of Australia requirements and the relevant clinical guidelines for the type of sedation used. If I provide sedation myself, I hold the required qualifications and my indemnity insurance covers it.

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During the procedure

• Mentor’s authority. My Mentor has final authority over each procedure in a Supervised Session and may decline a case, stop me or take over at any stage. I will follow their directions.

• Clinical records. I will record in the patient’s clinical notes that the procedure was performed under supervision, the Mentor’s name, any directions the Mentor gave, and any part of the procedure the Mentor performed. I will provide the AAOSE with a copy of the clinical notes relevant to the patient’s procedure, which may include consultation, surgery note and follow up notes as applicable.

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Responsibility for patient care

• Treating practitioner. I am the treating practitioner and the patient’s first point of contact. I am responsible for the consultation, patient selection, verbal and written informed consent, post-operative care, follow-up and referral where indicated. I will keep my Mentor informed of the patient’s management and seek their guidance where appropriate.

• Independent treatment. Any treatment I provide outside a Supervised Session, including during the Mentorship Program, is independent treatment. The AAOSE and its Mentors are not responsible for independent treatment or its outcome. I am solely responsible for deciding whether I am competent to perform any procedure, for practising within my scope of practice, and for exercising my own independent professional judgement.

• Complications. Complications are a recognised risk of oral surgery and sedation and can occur even when treatment is performed correctly. During a Supervised Session, the Mentor’s role is to supervise and teach. I remain the treating practitioner and am responsible for the patient’s care, including recognising and managing complications and providing follow-up. If the Mentor directs me or takes over any part of a procedure, the Mentor is responsible for their own acts and omissions in doing so. I remain responsible for the patient’s ongoing care unless the Mentor agrees otherwise in writing.

• Reporting complications. I will notify my Mentor promptly, and in any case within 24 hours, of any complication or adverse event arising from a procedure performed during the program, and I will notify my professional indemnity insurer if indicated. I will document the complication and its management in the patient’s clinical record.

• Indemnity. I indemnify the AAOSE and its Mentors against any claim, loss or cost arising from my acts or omissions in treating patients, except to the extent caused by the negligence of the AAOSE or a Mentor.