Our ASDA chapter at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston recently hosted 40 predental students from South Carolina and Georgia, representing over a dozen universities, in our most successful predental day yet. There is never a true formula to success, but we would like to share our tips to help other chapters when planning events for predental students.
Health care providers have a knack for neglecting their own health. We focus on our patients, but we need care, too. Over the last four years, I learned what worked (and what didn’t) to mentally, physically and socially keep myself well. These are my tips as a senior to help you get through school and stay well.
Your first experience interacting with a patient face-to-face can be a little intimidating. It may be the first time you feel like a real dentist, even though you’re still in the middle of your studies. You’ll always remember that first patient. As your clinical knowledge grows, you may even think back to how that first visit could have gone smoother. Despite all the pre-clinical training we receive, interacting with real patients is different than sitting in a lecture with other students. Here are five tips to make the first experience a positive one.
Congratulations to all the first-year dental students all over the United States. You have all worked very hard to get to this point and must continue to do so to to earn your degree. Starting dental school marks not only the start of an important chapter in your professional career, but also the beginning of many new lifestyle choices. In this transitional, yet critical, point in your dental education, I’d like share some tips to help you survive your first year…
Nothing’s perfect. This holds true for your first dental assistant, your first practice, your first crown prep and even your first residency. Setting expectations and learning about yourself is the best wisdom you can take away from your residency. Here are some red flags to look for and tips to deal with common issues. First, aim for excellence, not perfection. Also, residency is one of the best experiences you can have. These red flags will simply prepare you for roadblocks you might face and how to fix it!
Graduating from the preclinical labs to the predoctoral clinic brought a lot of anxiety and the unexpected. The experience has been very rewarding though I wish I’d known a few little nuggets beforehand that would have made the transition smoother. Here are a few tidbits that have helped me the past two years in clinic. I hope they can be beneficial to you as well!
Happy New Year fellow ASDA friends! Let me guess, you’re either at the gym tackling that New Year’s resolution, laying on the couch binging on Netflix, or traveling back to dental school after a much needed break. Whatever your situation, allow me to share with you some tips on how to maximize your New Year’s Day, and year for that matter.
