The last few months have been unprecedented and extremely demanding in every possible way of all of us. Whether that be due to COVID-19, the conversations on racism or the 2020 election, this year has been difficult, to say the least.
Worrying about student loan debt? You’re not alone
After graduation, your dental school loans will eventually go into repayment. Staying on top of your finances will ensure future success as a practicing dentist. Although debt and finance management are subjects rarely taught in dental school, understanding your debt is the first step to conquering it.
Rolling off your parent’s health insurance plan
Once we reach our third and fourth year of dental school, many of us turn 26 and face being removed from our parents’ health insurance plans. With the rising cost of health insurance, a significant financial burden is placed on students with few resources easily available to find affordable coverage.
Do dental students have a skewed view of Medicaid?
We all volunteered dozens of hours to meet the community service component of the dental school application, and we said we looked forward to making the world a better place after graduation. Yet only 43% of American dentists accept Medicaid or the CHIP platforms designed to serve low-income populations in America.
Harness the Advocacy Month momentum — and keep it going
With Advocacy Month coming to an end and advocacy engagement high, it is important to recognize how we can continue this momentum to create change year-round. When dental students across the nation work together to advocate for key issues, their united voice makes a difference.
Advocacy engagement: Coming together while staying six feet apart
ASDA’s Annual Session in 2020 inspired me to take a more active interest in advocacy. At Annual Session, I saw students legislating and taking action that would directly impact thousands of dental students. This proved the significant impact we as students could have, and I hoped that I could use my experiences to create new events for Houston ASDA’s members that would inspire them as well.
Giving back while still in dental school
You never hear anyone in dental school utter the words, “I’m bored.” If anything, there is too much to do and too little time to do it. However, there are students who somehow find time to give back to those who are less fortunate, even with everything else going on in their lives.