Dentaltown New Grad Edition 2020 - 16

how you communicate

Dea also noted that while dental school
may give you a strong foundation, there were
some concepts taught in lectures that she
did not have the opportunity to put into
practice in the dental school clinic. These
procedures mostly involved equipment
and materials that make dentistry more
efficient, such as CAD/CAM software for
3D dentistry.
She learned more about these techniques
on her own or with the help of a mentor and
co-workers. Students should pursue electives
and CE courses or seek help from faculty
mentors to sharpen their skills on the newer
and more advanced technologies. This will
serve you well in practice and make you
more marketable as an associate.
Dea also felt that she learned more about
practice management in her fi rst year of
private practice by asking questions and
observing her mentors than she had in her
four years of dental school. (Dentaltown's
message board forums have an entire
practice management section in which not
only dentists but also consultants weigh
in with readers' questions.) While many
schools try to address practice management,
if it's your goal to run your own practice,
she recommends augmenting your knowledge through on-the-job training or with
continuing education.

and interact with them

Communication is key

The patient's perception
of you is based more on

than on your clinical skills.

16

In addition to enhancing clinical skills,
Stanton advises that new dentists work on
refining their communication skills with
patients and staff. The patient's perception
of you is based more on how you communicate and interact with them than on your
clinical skills. This includes your confidence,
communication, patience, and ability to
translate procedures.
Stanton sought this out by educating
himself in psychology, finding a mentor he
thought demonstrated good communication,
and tracking his patient satisfaction and
treatment acceptance to assess his progress.

These three considerations should be
helpful in deciding if an associate position
is the right fit for you:
1. Is there at least one mentor in the
practice whom you can learn from?
2. Do you see yourself fitting in
with the work environment and
the people in the practice?
3. Is the practice busy enough
to provide the amount of experience
and income you are looking for
in your first year?
Stanton said new dentists should seek
positive answers to all three questions;
however, he believes that mentorship is
the most important consideration for your
learning and development.

The final lesson
Dentistry has a reputation for promoting
a balanced lifestyle. However, in the first
years of practice, associates should expect
long hours and hard work that will eventually
provide that balanced lifestyle. This may
entail working multiple jobs to gain the
experience and salary you're looking for,
doing more hygiene than you may like,
working long hours or weekends to establish
your patient base, or transferring to a new
associateship when you realize your current
one isn't serving your goals.
Through my conversations with these
recent grads, I learned that it's imperative
for new dentists to identify their ambitions
and values and seek the support, guidance
and education necessary to enhance these
exciting first few years of what will hopefully
be a fulfilling lifelong career. ■
References
1.
Education. ADA Health Policy Institute FAQ - Dental
Schools and Students. (2019). https://www.ada.org/en/
science-research/health-policy-institute/dental-statistics/
education.
2.
Applicants, Enrollees and Graduates. American Dental
Education Association. (2018). https://www.adea.org/
publications-and-data/data-analysis-and-research/applicants-enrollees-and-graduates.aspx.
3.
Smith, C. (2019, January 18). Decision in a Sea of Dental
Residencies * Student Doctor Network. Student Doctor
Network. https://www.studentdoctor.net/2018/01/24/decision-sea-dental-residencies/.

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Dentaltown New Grad Edition 2020

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