The May issue of The Atlantic included an article about dentistry. The author Ferris Jabr discussed “the truth” about the profession, that “it’s much less scientific — and more prone to gratuitous procedures — than you may think,” as the headline of the online version of the article stated.
The Student Professionalism & Ethics Association (SPEA) is a student organization that helps prepare dental students for the difficult choices they will face in practice. When you look at your patient’s medical history, the state of their teeth and gums, their finances and their commitment to hygiene, you are incorporating these variables into a decision for treatment. You try to make the decision that is best for the patient and for you. One challenge of providing oral health treatment is combining the many variables into the best treatment decision. Dentistry is not a binary profession with simple inputs and outputs. Comprehensive care requires comprehensive thought and foresight. The actions we take as professionals affect the patient, us and the profession. What ought to be done and what you will actually do may differ. SPEA is there to help guide those decisions.
Even amidst a posse of talented teenagers on the elite U.S. team of athletes, 32 year-old Ryan Lochte managed to garner himself a gold medal in the “Irresponsible All-Around” category of the 2016 Rio Olympics.
Lochte captured summer headlines surrounding the second week of the XXXI Olympiad with his law-enforcement run-in, allegedly vandalizing a public building and falsely claiming victimhood of robbery at gunpoint while in Brazil, according to August reports from USA Today, CNN and The Rolling Stone. His name was splashed across the news and social media. These same sources reported critiques of his character, his maturity and his negativity that was heaped upon the Olympics’ image. Frustrations ensued when he managed to briefly detract from the spectacle that Rio de Janeiro worked to create against a world’s apprehension around their host role. His actions and personality were under scrutiny. The media sensed blood in the water, and Ryan Lochte was no longer the predator in this pool.
It is not quite an official, signed-and-sealed letter, nor is it the casual, emoji-laden text message. It’s the beloved (or dreaded) email: one of the most commonly used forms of communication in the professional world. One group estimates that more than 200 billion emails are sent around the world each day.
Honing the ability to write an effective, polished email is critical both in school and the workplace. Whether you are notifying your professor of a planned absence, contacting vendors for an ASDA event or following up with a company post-interview, there are essential, unwritten rules to follow when drafting a professional email. Here are some of my tips on email etiquette…
It’s that time of year!! Interview season has commenced. As you go off to your residency interview (or maybe you are a predental student preparing for the big interview you’ve been waiting for), you want to make sure you are prepared in all capacities, including your outfit. You probably have asked yourself at one point, “How can I stand out?” or “What will set me apart from the other candidates”? There is nothing wrong with standing out and making a great initial impression, you just want to make sure you do it in the right way. Read on to find out how!
I spent many Sunday mornings this summer soaking up sun rays at a local restaurant eating brunch in my tank top and Ray Bans. I’ve gotten to know a few of the locals who frequent the same restaurant. While sipping my morning Joe and catching up on social media, stories about life were shared. The question of what I do for a living came up during one of our socials. I told them I was a dental student. Then their eyes immediately shift to the large shoulder tattoo on my left arm. “They let you have that in dental school?”
Recent scandal has unfortunately emerged out of a Canadian dental school, Dalhousie University Faculty of Dentistry, located in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Thirteen fourth-year male students were part of an online Facebook group entitled “Class of DDS 2015 Gentlemen.” Within the private group, misogynistic posts were allegedly made describing female classmates, “hate sex,” and the use of chloroform, among other degrading, misogynistic comments. Screenshots of the posts were brought to administrators’ attention on Dec. 8, 2014, and on Jan. 5, 2015 the 13 involved students were suspended from clinic. On Jan. 9, the university also announced that an external third-party task force would investigate the situation. The university, along with the female students affected, has decided to pursue a restorative justice process, which is more victim-centered and will give the affected students a say in working toward a resolution. What can we learn from this situation?
