During break, I didn't do much as a pre-dent but review the first semester of organic chemistry and shadow the dentist whom my cousin assists.
I usually hate shadowing... I assist at a Free Dental Clinic in Charlottesville and am in the patient's mouth alongside the dentist. Therefore, I'm pretty spoiled when it comes to my chairside activity, and shadowing is at the lowest rung of the excitement ladder. There's nothing more boring than watching others work on a patient's mouth.. sometimes not even watching because you can't see what's going on from your seat.
Shadowing with Dr. Rios of Ashburn, however, was better than I imagined it to be. Although some procedures were boring to watch (I fell asleep for a few of them..), the staff was helpful and friendly and I learned a lot about techniques and opening up my own dental office.
1. Take a business class during undergrad. They don't offer this in dental school.
2. Stay up to date with your employees by having daily morning "huddles" and monthly "lunch and learn" to improve the office
3. Comfort of patient comes first -- your patients have to TRUST you.
4. In order to decrease no-shows and cancelled appointments, express to the patients the urgency in having their procedures done. Say to them.. "I don't know when _____ will fail you/break/etc., but what I do know is that the longer you wait to do this procedure, the more expensive and the more time costly it will be later."
- Everyone in the office, the assistant, the hygienist, the front desk, the dentist, must say this in the same way and express their common concern
- The focus here is on the economy
5. After dental school, you'll be finding your own techniques and your own way to do things... straying away from the techniques you learned in dental school
6. I've known this.. but just to reiterate.. apply EVERYWHERE. take interviews EVERYWHERE.
While shadowing, I also had the chance to meet another dentist who graduated from UVA undergrad, and after two years of working as an assistant (as well as getting married and having kids), she attended Howard Univ. Dental School. She just graduated, so she still remembers a lot of what I'm going through right now. Like me, she chose to just major and minor in two different departments rather than take up two majors (for me, I'm choosing Biology as a Major and Religious Studies as a minor).
She also recommended that I Study Abroad.. I've been thinking about doing it for my Fourth Year's fall semester because it's a great opportunity, it will give me a more cosmopolitan view, and when will I ever get the chance to travel in my youth with no responsibilities again? My boyfriend, Tuan, is also pre-dental and has been against me going on Study Abroad because it may appear to dental schools that I'm not as focused as I should. Although I don't agree with what Tuan says, I do feel that I won't be able to take classes during the fall semester that I wanted to, as well as improve my GPA, if I go on Study Abroad.
