An update.

Two main things I learned during my one week internship:

• School can’t possibly teach you everything. Actually, I knew this going in, but spending a week at the clinic showed me more clearly that the learning never stops, and that I need to be adaptive in any type of clinic situation I go into.
• Always keep abreast of the latest dental technology. Equipment and material in dentistry is constantly changing and evolving.

Overall, my internship experience was great. I now know certain areas that I excel in, and areas for improvement. I also realized even more that I’m passionate my budding career in dentistry and I’m looking forward  to evolving into an even more knowledgeable assistant.

Whoo!

As of tomorrow, I start my one week internship at a community dental clinic! It’s the same clinic my classmates and I go to every Tuesday so I’m familiar with the way things run, but now it’s really time to hone in on my skills. I’m nervous and I’m excited. But more excited, of course!

Team Work.

As a part of an assignment, I recently shadowed at a Periodontist’s office. It was a very interesting learning experience to view the inner workings of this office and learning about the different periodontal procedures they do on a daily basis. I loved the experience so much that I’m definitely considering interning at a Periodontal office as a part of my specialty internship. (At my school we do internships at a general dental office and a specialty dental office of our choice.)

Of the amazing things I got to witness at this office, one of the things that stood out the most was the team work involved amongst all the staff. Everything at this office flowed so seamlessly because of this. Everyone had their varies roles to perform that day but were more than willing to give each other a helping hand as needed. The results of this was that most of the appointments were able to start on time, the environment was relaxed, thus, the patients were relaxed. In fact, one patient noted that this dental office was the most relaxing and warm that she had ever been to.

At my school we’re are taught that team work is one of the most essential elements of any dental practice. Seeing an excellent example of this in practice is something I will always carry with me going forward in my dental career.