How to Make the Most of your Dental Work Experience?
Are you considering Dentistry? Dental work experience will undoubtedly be the best way to find out whether a career as a dentist is something you can truly see yourself in.
Here are our key points to consider when carrying out dental work experience to make the most of your time.
1. Keep a logbook
Sometimes it is easy to forget what you have observed on work experience so it’s important to jot down notes as you go along.
We have devised a form that will make it easier for you to gather your thoughts during your work experience. This will also make personal statement writing much easier. Download the form for free on our “Work Experience” page under the “Application Guide” tab.
2. Speak to the dentist and ask them what their favourite parts of their job is…and what they enjoy the least!
You can find out the ins and outs of the job and what else comes with the satisfaction of treating people.
Do they enjoy their job everyday? Is their daily variety and challenge in their job? It is important to know this since you could potentially be doing this job for over 40 years!
3. If you see any treatments, briefly write down their names.
This is more to widen your reading for potential interview questions.
4. Skills and qualities
Something that is very important to note down are the skills that the dentists have and how they are utilised in their practise.
For example, the interpersonal skills seen when dentists can make a nervous child feel at ease, as well as an older patient. This shows great communicational skills across all age groups.
In addition, you may see qualities such as patience and respect – between the dentist and his/her colleagues or patients. Note these down and see if you have these to further develop.
Always reflect on your work experience – the logbook on our website has a section for this. Students have found this a very logical and valuable format to gather their thoughts and consolidate their learning from work observation.
If you need any advice in your preparation for medical or dental school, please feel free to get in touch at hello@step2med.co.uk and one of our tutors will be more than happy to help you. We’ve been where you are, and now we’re here for you!
