Motivation Flashcards
Why do you want to do dentistry?
going into year 12 I knew I wanted to do something science related to the human body and interacting with others.
I initially seemed work experience at a dental clinic after seeing how my sisters dental problems were treated so meticulously and I got intrigued by how one tooth can cause a series of so many problems and distress and can holistically effect your entire health. I viewed a field in which dentists are constantly problem solving and learning new ways to better care for patients whilst also being mindful of how treatment impacts patients socially e.g I saw how the dentist dealt with an anxious patient (many skills into play)
•multifaceted career e.g engineering/business and for me personally =use my hands creatively (art/crochet/nail tech) which I have viewed in my work experience where the dentist very precisely did a filling which uses both good manual dexterity and many creative aspects to make it aesthetic. In my dentistry work experience I saw how dentists were very meticulous with their procedures + creative liberty
•build a close patient rapport and improve their life quality by teaching. You get to build a long term relationship which I observed in my work experience as the dentist really had a great relationship with all their patients. As someone who likes building longer term relationships and have kept the same friends group for a very long time, dentistry really suits me.
•lifestyle where you are continually developing yourself. Career involves life long learning and as someone who is curious and loves learning it would suit me = you can also specialise into very different and exciting new roles e.g orthodontist
So these are all the different reasons as to why I am passionate about doing dentistry and why it is suited to me. I also do appreciate that there may be hardships such as stress and having to deal with giving bad news to patients but after considering this, this has still not deterred me from dentistry and I am still very passionate about its (despite the hardships I am still eager to pursue it)
What are the cons of dentistry?
Cons:
*one of the negatives is the risk of occupational back pain where through sitting down hunched over for a long time it can put strain on your physical health e.g in my work experience the dentist after a root canal let me know that sometimes during procedures where you are focused for a prolonged time it can be easy to stop maintaining good posture. This would not deter me as I am a very active person that enjoyed dancing and this ensures that my physical health is well maintained
•in everyday
•work load= fast paced with many patients to see due to the UDA system
•some patients can be hard to deal with where they may be hard to reason, so it i’s important to improve conflict resolution skills e.g at school I was a maths mentor and had to sort out a few conflicts between students / dental phobias being able to adapt to different situations which I did when volunteering at a dementia club and mentoring
•may have to give patients bad news which is never easy or if you haven’t been able to help the patient fully especially when they have high expectations e.g at my work experience a patient was dissatisfied with a filling that the dentist saw no problem with so they left not fully happy and reduce a dentists self confidence and cause stress due to complaints
•demotivated as patients have a lot of misconceptions regarding dentists
What do you want to specialise in?
As of now, I am just hoping to become the best general practitioner I can be. However I am open to view different specialties and if something were to peak my interest I would be more than happy to put in that extra work to do what I love!
•I may be interested with working with children as I enjoy interacting with them and have also had experience whilst being a maths mentor for young students. This would also be very rewarding as you can tackle dental phobia from an early age and prevent preventable diseases which will save the NHS money long term
Why would you work in a dental practice?
•calm and organised dental environment
•good + supportive team (family)
•get to build a close and interpersonal relationship with patients
Do you have any insight into the field of dentistry?
•shadowed a dentist = viewed a root canal/ filling (dentist using non-/verbal communication, non-clinical terminology, autonomy)
•have read a book ‘so you want to be a dentist’ talks on practical side of dentistry
•I watch many documentaries e.g dental phobia, history of dentistry
Why would you want to be a dentist in a hospital?
•more variety of different cases/patients = referrals e.g for obese patients that need bariatric chairs or patients with dental phobias
•get to spend more time with patients = get to build a better relationship and give more advice e.g specialised treatment plans and education of improving oral health
•working with a larger team, not as small as a dental clinic so you can get the opinion and views of a variety of different people = more exciting
What do you wish to achieve in your career in dentistry, aside from clinical practice?
•I would love to educate people on oral health e.g children. I’ve always loved teaching others= dental mentor
•start a business = get a chance to use more skills e.g problem solving and you get to build a team that perfectly suits your character which is important in maintaining good team work
•be able to research and find new innovations e.g using the pulp of a tooth to get stem cells (less rejection) / making dentistry more accessible and facilitating different needs with different innovations = VR headset for those with dental phobia
Describe some health professionals that work alongside dentists, and explain what they do.
•dental assistant (most vital)= will help with providing tools, make patient notes (history)
•receptionist = makes sure appointments are booked and helps manages and organise your time = means that you have a better work life balance, more time to enjoy hobbies and socialise
•dental hygienist = maintains good oral hygiene, can do some procedures like scaling. Can save the dentist time with other more complex procedures and dental hygienist can provide more personalised dental recommendations/oral health advice
What do nurses do?
•patient care = comfort and oral education
•prepare surgical equipments e.g sterilising
•sterilise instruments and pass to dentists e.g pass material for fillings
•record and maintain patient records (history/ notes during examinations)
•treatment support e.g remove saliva/ help set fillings
Describe an interesting dental development in recent times.
• 3D printing = dentist can use digital scanning to create 3D model and produce customised dental prosthetics, aligners and implants
•virtual reality= drug free way to reduce dental anxiety (not common but could be very helpful for patients with severe fears)
•stem cells in pulp
What extracurricular activities have you done relating to science and dentistry?
•nail art/crochet/art = intricate and precise details (use specific set of tools for desired outcome)
•dancing (intricate movement of hands, maintain physical endurance)
Discuss an interesting project, talk or article you have come across recently.
•article discussed on how periodontal bacteria went beyond the mouth but it actually worsened the symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis due to increased inflammation in joints (helps in highlighting the relationship between periodontal disease and systematic diseases)
•made me understand that many aspects of oral health also affect overall health of the body. A lot of the times dentists are the first line of defence in identification of different diseases e.g diabetes can be spotted (gum and tooth decay can be early signs)
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/09/240905121059.htm
What are the key qualities a good dentist should have?
•very good communication whilst simultaneously being attentive towards anything the patient may be saying as it can give good indication of medical/dental history = being able to use both verbal and non-verbal communication to express complex ideas in more simple terms
•attention to detail as it is almost microsurgery where you are working in very small areas to provide intricate and detailed work/ manual dexterity is essential = art, crochet and dancing have helped me develop these skills
•good interpersonal skills to allow you to build a rapport with you patients so that they can trust you more and you can target their specific concerns/make patients feel confident/build professional and strong teams = allows dental clinic to run smoothly
•empathetic
•adaptable
What are some of the challenges of being a dentist?
•not always able to provide the care necessary to patients due to fear, pain and financial stress from patients which can cause stress and anxiety as you may not be able to provide the best care e.g those with dental anxiety may not show up to appointments which can exacerbate problems
•can be time consuming so may hinder work life balance but I’ve heard that with good planning this aspect is much more manageable
•technological change = technology is ever evolving and adapting to new needs so can be hard to learn brand new techniques = dentistry is all about adapting and changing you ways to ensure best patient outcome. But it means you must also know own limits e.g better to rely on something you are 100% confident with
Do you read any dental publications?
•I’ve been reading a bit on the British dental journal just to see what the current dental world is like and what new innovations there are/could be
E.g better support when transitioning special needs people from paediatric dentistry to adult dental services (e.g will start costing) . Problems arise when patients may no longer come to appointments due to the difficulties and this puts a oral strain in an already vulnerable group
•I understand that as a dentist it is important to keep up with both knowledge and skills up to date which involves doing thorough reasearch and also remaining passionate about this, which is something that I love to do e.g when in school I thought loved doing the practical experiments and then being able to eeserach upon them in more depth
Who do you consider to be the most important member of the dental team?
•every single role complements the other so they are all equally as important e.g the dentist is supported by the dental tech and their collaboration is essential for the best patient care/ receptionist is also as vital as they make sure scheduling runs smoothly and that all patients are initially welcomed
•the patient is also very important as you can work with them to improve their quality of care e.g getting their opinions and providing them a treatment plan that they are fully autonomous to
What do you know about the changing technologies in dentistry? Which do you think will have the biggest impact?
•AI has started to be used in dentistry where it currently can help with patient care and help with the efficiency of dental practices by helping with administrative work
/future of dentistry which can mean more patients can have access to care as it will save more time to allow dentists to care for patients
•improves patient care=
*AI can analyse dental images to find abnormalities and allow early detection of disease (can save ££/teeth)
*can provide personalised treatment plans and recommendations based on records and history and clinical data
*improve education on oral health as patients can have 24/7 access to virtual assistants that can give info
•in my biology for a better tomorrow leaf programme I was able to gain more insight on AI’s future with health care and it addressed how most will convert to the use of AI and this will greatly help management. However problems can arise when patient data can be jeopardised if someone were to hack it = must be careful
How much do you think dentistry impacts the patient’s wider quality of life?
•oral health contributes to all aspects of life = eating, communicating, socialising and self confidence so it is vital that it is well looked after and prioritised
•It affecting physical health and can be detrimental to mental health
•poor oral health can also lead to inflammation, cavities, gum disease etc. which can cause continuous and unbearable pain and can lead to reduced quality of life as it cannot be enjoyed as much as
Can you tell us about any particular life experiences that you think may help or hinder you in a career in dentistry?
•I’ve experienced interacting with a variety of different individuals which will help me build an interpersonal relation with my patients (e.g charity shop/hospice/dementia club/tutoring kids)
•work experience in a dental practice has really shown me that dentistry is something I will really enjoy/keep me motivated
•the feeling of stress can become overwhelming sometimes which I have experienced previously. I’d say that it is something I will be experiencing often and should hence find coping mechanisms = previously I have de stressed by giving my self free time to exercise/meditate/crochet and by making a plan
How would you dissuade someone from going into dentistry?
•I would ask them what they prioritise in a fulfilling and good career:
*teamwork = if you prefer working independently it is not for you
*building relationships with patients
*having to use hands constantly (expressing yourself creatively)
If they do not not enjoy the concept of these values, then dentistry should not be something they should pursue as these values are interlinked to provide the best patient care
•dedication and commitment needed in dentistry = long years in uni studying but also must be dedicated to keep learning and improving
•dentistry is a high pressure career where you have the power to change others lives so you are likely to be under public scrutiny where people may have a lot of unrealistic expectations (important to manage conflicts and resolve problems)
When you think about becoming a dentist, what do you look forward to most and least?
•I look most forward to being able to do a job in which I can interweave my creative passions with being able to speak to others and build interpersonal relationships. Dentistry is very multifaceted and I will be able to dive into many different fields such as science/engineering/art
•least = the student loan, but I am certain it will be worth it. But being more focused on dentistry I’d say that what I look least forward to is having to give my patients bad news such as tooth extractions or diagnosis of oral cancer which can be very hard, especially with patients that you have build a strong relationship with over time. In times like this you must remain professional and provide them treatment plans and solutions you can work through together
What impact do you hope to make in the field of dentistry?
•I hope to bring more awareness towards ways in which to improve your oral health. Especially to children as they are the future generation and will be able to keep the cycle of good oral health going
/education is pivotal to prevent the problem from even happening in the first place
•I would love to make dentistry more accessible to people by providing treatment plans that are more affordable = reduce health inequality
•dwelled deeper into research and find new innovations which can improve dental care
Why dentistry and not medicine?
•I appreciate that there are many similar parallels with both but after having put a lot of thought in it and having experienced work experience in both of these fields. I believe the dental environment suits me more and my personality
•get to build long term relationship (seen in WE where dentist had a great relationship with patient/my own dentist and me are quite close). I enjoy building longer term relationships and have kept the same friends group for a very long time so this aspect would suit me more
•dentists get to assess, diagnose and treat patients whereas in medicine usually there are more referrals = this suits me more as I get to provide the complete package of care which is both rewarding but also ensures the building of a long term relationship (I’ve also seen this being more useful for patients as the dentist understands the relevant background in full detail during appointments)
•dentistry works on a very important part of the body, which unites health/function and aesthetics. This makes it very unique and means that you are utilising many skills everyday e.g manual dexterity and as someone who has many creative hobbies and loves using my hands e.g dancing= more suited to my set of skills
What will you do if you do not get an offer?
•I would definitely priorities getting feedback from my interviews to see what I can improve on next time and I would actively work on these weaknesses to become better next time
•I am very dedicated about becoming a dentist so I would not give up but would instead reapply for next year and use the time I have also to reflect and improve my skills
•setbacks are really just part of life and it’s more on how you overcome them that i’s important
What are your priorities in your own personal development?
•I would love to become a well rounded person with many different transferable skills
•I would love to improve my confidence in communicating with a large group e.g presentations and dentistry will certainly give me these experiences and help me improve/ also becoming more adaptable e.g when speaking to a variety of different people which I have already developed
•I would also love to improve on my time management skills which will be vital
Do you plan on starting your own practice later in your career?
•have tried to start a business= quite fun and would love to expand on the skills I utilised e.g management
•have spoken to a dentist that was the owner of the clinic , gave me points on why it is an ad e.g being able to dictate the time you work so you have a better work life balance / can get to build a team+environment which you can lead and manage to be how you envision
What are you looking forward to the most about becoming a dentist?
•creative = get to be artistic in procedures
•build strong relationships with patients
•continue learning as it is a career with life long learning so will keep me interested and motivated as someone who is very curious
Are you motivated by financial rewards?
•I have explored many aspects of dentistry and have weighed out the positives and negatives when choosing dentistry and financial rewards were not my concerns during that as I wanted to make sure I would enjoy this career rather than the financial benefits
Why not medicine (e.g surgery)
•I appreciate that it can also be a very fulfilling career that has many similar aspects to dentistry such as e.g problem solving
•but in dentistry there are more skills you get to explore = problem solving, using your hands and you get to go through a treatment from start to finish which is quite satisfactory and rewarding
•in dentistry you get to see your patients even when they are well as-well as ill so you get to build strong relationships with patients
