Who Excels in Dental School and How to Increase Your Odds
Recently I read an article in DentalTown by Dr. Robert Benavides discussing tips for new grads to excel in their associateships. He started by talking about “dental superstars” and how they each succeed in dental school. He identified three types of dental superstars, three foundational areas of success in dental school. This blog addresses those areas and how to maximize your odds of exceling in each of those areas.
What are the skills you are naturally good at? What are the areas you will need to work on? No matter what the answer is, remember that there are always ways to help you get better in your strengths and your weaknesses. And IgniteDDS is here to help!
- Didactically Inclined – No matter which dental school you go to, you will inevitably meet one academically gifted person, maybe more. I am talking gifted on another level. “Photographic memory, facts just stick in their brain, they hear it once and can recall it years later at gunpoint” gifted. These tend to be the didactic superstars. They are naturally inclined to do well on tests and even boards. They do well on the DATs. But even if you are not that gifted, there are some things to remember:
- You ARE gifted – No matter how much you have to study or how hard it feels, if you get into dental school, you do have a gift for education and academic. It is how you got here. So do not doubt yourself. From a fellow dental school grad, “if you are smart enough to get in, you are smart enough to get out” is real. Do not doubt yourself. Work hard and do the best you can. You will find that your best IS good enough to get that degree, and then some.
- Find what works- Not everyone learns the same way so the more than you know about your learning style, the bigger advantage you will have. Some people study well alone while other thrive in groups. Some need to read the textbook cover to cover while others need to make study guides. Some are auditory learners and others visual. Find your style and stick to it.
- Talk to the professor- Professors in dental school are there to help. If you are struggling with a concept or do not understand something, do not hesitate to go into office hours to talk things over. If you take the initiative on your education, you will thrive.
- Dexterously Inclined – You are getting a degree in a surgical specialty (hence the DDS degree) and surgery is a hand skill, a tough one to master at that. There will be people in your class that just have hands that “work.” They will do well in dental morphology. They will wax like pros even if its their first time touching a PKT instrument. They will do well in lab and dentures will be their friends. If this does not sound like you, then do not fret.
- Hands skills are LEARNED: The more you practice, the better you will get. Even if it does not come naturally, if you practice it, you WILL get better. Keep practicing and keep getting feedback so you can improve with every round.
- Ask for help- There are tips and tricks to mastering some of the hand skills needed in our profession. Some things will work in your hands, others will not. So try different techniques and keep what works and toss the rest. The more people you ask, your class rockstars, teachers you connect with, upperclassmen, the more techniques you will learn.
- Know that things change after graduation- You need to learn these skills NOW and learn them well. You need to learn them using the materials mandated by your school. But know that your options, especially with materials and techniques, expands greatly after your graduate from school.
- Clinically Inclined – This individual is the best type of superstar to be because your success in school is directly relevant to your success after your graduate. This feels like late blooming because most people do not realize they are good at this until they hit clinic, later than the other two superstars. To make yourself even better in this arena:
- Communication is key: The better at talking to patients you are, the better you will be in this field. So master the art of communicating. This entails educating your patient, understanding their needs, communicating how your treatment plan addresses those chief concerns and being good at informed consent (ie: telling them about the potential bad BEFORE it happens). Doing this without using dental jargon is also important so practice with your loved ones.
- Learn from the greats – A good way to get better at the clinical aspect of dentistry is to learn from people who are already dentists, and doing it well. Shadowing is not just something you do to get into dental school. I suggest you continue shadowing even after you get in and while you are in school. Not only is this a good way to learn how dentists speak to their patients and staff, but also is a good way to make connections to find a job after school.
What are the skills you are naturally good at? What are the areas you will need to work on? No matter what the answer is, remember that there are always ways to help you get better in your strengths and your weaknesses. And IgniteDDS is here to help!