Impact of a computerized placement service on practice location of recent graduates.

In 1972, the University of Minnesota, the Minnesota Dental Association, and the State Board of Dentistry implemented a program known as the Dental Information Service Center. An important component of this effort was a set of computerized programs aimed at facilitating placement of recent graduates of the University's dental school. Although use of the computerized program has grown substantially during the four-year study period, personal contacts remain the source of information most frequently responsible for initial placements; they accounted for 60% of such placements. The computerized referral program accounted for 27% of first placements for the class of 1976. The program has been influential in increasing student awareness of underserved areas. Overall career satisfaction was high among recent graduates, and their subjective evaluation of the program was generally positive.