personal qualities

Question 1

biggest weakness

Answer 1

• Public speaking
• Get very nervous
• One time had to present infront of a large group of ppl that idk
• Stuttering a lot and shaking
• Disheartened afterwards as I prepared a lot for it but felt like my nerves ruined it
• However this was a driving force that motivated me to improve my confidence when public speaking
• Tried to get as much exposure as poss
• Even tho this was mentally challenging I pushed thru
• And eventually got more comfortable with it, very rewarding
• Was proud of myself for recognising my weakness and improving it
• Understand communication is vital in dent
  
  • Obtain valid consent, ensure patients understand treatment
  • Make patients feel as comfy as poss
• So will continue to work on it to become even more confident
• important to recognise mistakes and not be too disheartened by things and shld use them as a learning experience
• Important for dentists to recognise weaknesses
  
  • Can improve and provide better patient care
• Go on cpd courses to continue developing skills
• Take patient feedback seriously

Question 2

teamwork

Answer 2

• Teamwork is a collaborative effort of a group to achieve a shared goal effectively
• Consists of things eg
  
  • Communication-open and respectful exchange of ideas
  • Collaboration
  • Respect
• During ballet I’ve had to work as a team with my peers to choreograph dances
• This required us all to push each other to contribute to create something that would showcase all of our abilities
• We divided sections of the dance based on what we each enjoyed, and collaborated afterwards
  
  • Important to utilise each members strengths, skills
• I ensured that people in the team felt comfortable to approach me if they had ideas or concerns, because everyones opinion is important
• However we did encounter a slight dispute between the 2 other team members as they couldn’t come to an agreement about a particular dance move
• I thought this needed to be resolved urgently because a team needs to work effectively together to produce the best possible outcome
• So I asked them both individually what the issue was, turned out to have the same issue so I encouraged them to have a civil conversation together
• Resolved very quickly after that
• Rewarding for me as I was able to contribute to bringing the team back together
• From this experience I have grown to appreciate the true value of teamwork
• And I understand how important it is within dentistry- effective teamwork directly impacts the quality of care
  
  • Beneficence
• dentist needs to work closely w their dental team
  
  • Improves efficiency and patient comfort
  • GDC principle: work w colleagues in a way that is in patients best interests
• and good teamwork can reduce stress and create a supportive working environment

Question 3

leadership

Answer 3

• Ability to guide and influence others towards a shared goal
• Create an environment that allows urself and others to thrive
• Consists of:
  
  • Communication
  • Decision making
  • Motivation-inspiring others to perform their best
• During ballet I’ve had to work as a team with my peers to choreograph dances, nominated to take a leading role
• This required us all to push each other to contribute to create something that would showcase all of our abilities
• I decided to divide sections of the dance based on what we each enjoyed, and collaborated afterwards
  
  • Important to utilise each members strengths, skills
• I ensured that people in the team felt comfortable to approach me if they had ideas or concerns, because everyones opinion is important
• However we did encounter a slight dispute between the 2 other team members as they couldn’t come to an agreement about a particular dance move
• I thought this needed to be resolved urgently because a team needs to work effectively together to produce the best possible outcome
• So I asked them both individually what the issue was, turned out to have the same issue so I encouraged them to have a civil conversation together
• Resolved very quickly after that
• Rewarding for me as I was able to contribute to bringing the team back together
• From this experience I have grown to appreciate the true value of leadership within teamwork
• understand how important it is within dent- beneficence
• Ensures
  
  • effective team coordination
  • high-quality patient care
  • and the smooth operation of the practice
• dentist needs to work closely w their dental team
  
  • Improves efficiency and patient comfort
  • GDC principle: work w colleagues in a way that is in patients best interests

Question 4

communication

Answer 4

• Exchange of ideas, information, feelings
• Involves verbal and nonverbal methods to convey and interpret messages effectively
• Consists of:
  
  • Listening to actively understand
  • Clarify to ensure message is understandable
  • Tone and non verbal cues
• Volunteered at primary school and hospital
  
  • Interacted w a range of age groups
• Primary school
  
  • Simplified concepts to ensure children understood them
    
    • Speaking slowly
    • Hand gestures
    • Rephrasing things
• Hospital
  
  • Listened to patients
  • Lightearted convo to help them relax
  • Was able to build strong bonds w patients and they grew to trust me, very rewarding and I enjoyed conversing w ppl
• Important in dent
  
  • Meet a range of ppl from diff backgrounds
  • Convey diagnostic info accurately in a way that patients will understand
  • Make patients feel comfy
  • Made patients feel more at ease and trust dentist more
  • Establish rapport
  • Especially beneficial for patients w dental anxiety

Question 5

resilience

Answer 5

• Ability to adapt and recover in the face of challenges and stress
• Consists of
  
  • Emotional regulation- staying calm under pressure
  • Self awareness
  • Problem solving
• Ballet exam
• Practiced sm for it, was well prepared and making no mistakes when practicing
• When exam came, forgot parts of dances despite having practiced them perfectly a few hours ago
• I had cracked under the pressure of being observed by the examiner, was disheartened
• Driving force to do better in the next exam
• Practiced in more high pressure situations rather than only with my teacher whom I am very comfortable with
• Mentally challenging for me but I kept pushing myself and eventually got used to it
• Next exam: performed very well and was proud
• Proud of my performance and that I recognised my weakness and was able to improve
• understand there will be difficult situations in dent- stressful career
  
  • Short appt times, high patient expectations
• Good to use challenges as learning experiences
• Not let stress affect performance
  
  • Work at high standard
  • GDC principle: put patients interests first
  • Beneficence

Question 6

stress management

Answer 6

• Strategies aimed at reducing and coping w stress to maintain mental and physical wellbeing
• Consists of:
  
  • Time management
  • Relaxation techniques
  • Physical activity
• effective time management and planning ahead to avoid stress
• I have practiced these skills by organising my time so that I can have a healthy balance between my studies and activities that will help me destress, such as ballet and art
• I created detailed timetables and am continuing to stick to them throughout my a level period
• This method has proven to be effective for me, so I would adapt these techniques to manage time during my time studying and practicing dentistry
• As I mentioned before, I think keeping up with my extracurriculars (ballet and art) will be very beneficial
• As they will provide an outlet to my academic life
• Also, I will make sure I have a support system in place
• Such as my friends and family
• So I can go to them when I am feeling stressed
• As talking about my feelings personally helps me calm down, so that my stress won’t affect my studies and I can get the most out of dental school
• undrestand dent is a stressful environment
• Prevent burnout
• Ensure troubles don’t effect standard of care being provided
  
  • GDC principle put patients interests first
• In dentistry, stress management is vital not only for personal health but also for providing high-quality patient care and maintaining a healthy work environment

Question 7

organisation/ time management

Answer 7

• Efficiently managing tasks to achieve goals within a set time frame
• Consists of:
  
  • Avoiding procrastination
  • Scheduling
• I understand that the heavy workload at dental school can be stressful
• However this can be overcome by effective time management and planning ahead to avoid stress
• I have practiced these skills by organising my time so that I can have a healthy balance between my studies and activities that will help me destress, such as ballet and art
• I created detailed timetables and am continuing to stick to them throughout my a level period
• This method has proven to be effective for me, so I would adapt these techniques to manage time during my time studying and practicing dentistry
• Work life balance
• As I mentioned before, I think keeping up with my extracurriculars (ballet and art) will be very beneficial
• As they will provide an outlet to my academic life
• Also, I will make sure I have a support system in place
• Such as my friends and family
• So I can go to them when I am feeling stressed
• As talking about my feelings personally helps me calm down, so that my stress won’t affect my studies and I can get the most out of dental school
• Important in dent
• Minimise stress and burnout
  
  • Dent is stressful high pressure
• In dentistry, organisation is vital not only for personal health but also for providing high-quality patient care and maintaining a healthy work environment

Question 8

manual dexterity

Answer 8

• skill and ability to perform precise and controlled hand movements
• Consists of:
  
  • Hand eye coordination
  • Fine motor skills
• Long term hobby art asw as art a level
• Usually paint and draw
• Charcoal drawing final piece
• Precise hand movements
  
  • create detailed lines and shapes
• Steadiness
  
  • Avoid smudges
• Attention to detail
• Patience and concentration
  
  • 15 hr exam
  • Made mistakes
  • Difficult to identify what needs improving
  • Usually very fine detail so have to be very precise when fixing
• Manual dexterity is essential in dentistry because it directly impacts the quality, precision, and safety of patient care.
• Dental procedures often involve intricate tasks performed in a small, confined space—the oral cavity
• Precise hand movements minimise the risk of accidental injury to delicate tissues in the mouth
  
  • GDC principle put patients interest first
  • Non maleficence

Question 9

problem solving skills

Answer 9

• Identify and resolve issues effectively and efficiently
• Consists of
  
  • Recognising issue
  • Analytical thinking
  • Communication
• Ballet teamwork scenario
• Found out why they were disputing and fixed it
• Diagnosis
  
  • Identify root causes of symptoms
• Deliver effective care
• Treatment planning
  
  • Prioritise solutions that balance efficiency, cost, patient preferences
• Managing patient anxiety and behaviour

Question 10

teaching

Answer 10

• Guiding learners to help them achieve specific objectives
• Consists of
  
  • Communication- clear and concise lang
  • Motivation- encouraging learners to stay engaged
• Volunteering primary school
• Teach small groups of kids how to do column method multiplication
• Simplified concepts
• Ensured kids understood
• Made them feel comfy to raise concerns and ask qs
• Repeating and rephrasing
• Praising them when correct
  
  • Young
  • Further motivated them
• Preventative
• Oral health education
• Good oral hygiene practices
• Explain treatment plans
  
  • No jargon
  • Ensure patients understand
  • GDC principle: communicate effectively w patients

Question 11

initiative

Answer 11

• independently assess situations and take proactive actions
• Consists of
  
  • Decision making
  • Problem solving
  • Leadership skills
• Ballet teamwork scenario
• Realised team morale was being effected
• Found out why they were disputing and fixed it
• GDC principle: raise concerns if patients are at risk
• Identify potential oral health issues before they develop into major problems
  
  • Take initiative to provide oral health education
• Challenges eg complications during surgery
  
  • Quickly devise solutions

Question 12

empathy/ compassion

Answer 12

• Understand feelings and experiences of another
• Consists of
  
  • Active listening
  • Non judgemental attitude
  • Resonating w them
  • Putting urself in their shoes
• Volunteering at hospital
• Patient said they felt anxious
• Actively Listened
  
  • Nodded head
  • Made sure they felt heard
• Soft tone
  
  • Help them relax
• Told them I could only imagine how hard this must be for them
• Offered them an iPad that the volunteer team hands out
  
  • Distract themselves
• Offered to listen to them whenever needed
• Patient was grateful, built a good relationship, rewarding
• Build trust
  
  • Dentist patient relationship
  • GDC principle communicate effectively w patients
  • Appts flow smoothly
• Reduce patient anxiety
  
  • Reassures patients
  • They feel more comfy