Day dreamer and Believer: The reality of being a Dentistry student

The reality of being a Dentistry student

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I actually don’t know where to begin this post because I have so many thoughts running through my mind. I have a lot of sentiments, rants and realizations that I cannot contain anymore. I’ll try to put it into words and hopefully you’ll read it until the end. This is going to be lengthy.

How to be a Dentistry Student? I’m currently in my first semester in my (hopefully) last year as a Dentistry student. I don’t know how I was able to surpass every semester in my college years but I thank God He always helps me make a way. Dentistry is actually not a difficult course if you are good in memorizing and critical thinking, if you are born with good and fast hands that can easily cope up with deadlines and delays, if there would be no interruptions in clinic hours (no clinic days), if you have the skills in clinical and laboratory works, if you always have patients for every procedure during clinic hours, if you have all the expensive instruments that are required, if you can pay your tuition fee on time and if you’re positive enough to think that you can surpass everything on time. Well, in my case, the only thing that I have from all those mentioned above is the positive thinking that keeps me going until now.

When I was in High School until my second year in college I see myself as one of the outstanding students. I graduated with honors in SBC and was in the Dean’s list for 2 years in College. I felt I was good enough until I entered the proper years. All the things that I learned in my High School and PreDent years were just all basic stuffs compared to what we have now in the proper years. I thought I was good in critical thinking until I had General and Oral Microscopic Anatomy. Hindi sya biro promise. This was the first time I had several failing scores in quizzes. I thought I was good in memorizing until I had Oral Surgery I, Oral Surgery II and Oral Pathology. I thought I wouldn’t survive every semester that I had in my previous years. I literally have to memorize the whole book because every information written on it is important and included in our quizzes and exams. There’s just too much information that my brain cannot absorb anymore. These subjects made me feel what a real college student feels like. When I arrive home at 8pm after Surgery classes I rest my mind, eat and sleep and wake up at around 3am the next morning. It is when I start to study and memorize. The only consequence is that I feel sleepy in school during lectures. Eto lang ang masasabi ko, hindi biro maging med student. Mahirap. Kailangan basa ng basa, aral ng aral. Actually wala naman talagang katapusan ang pag aaral na to kahit pa makagraduate ng 6 years or 7 years. Hanggang sa practice kailangan nadadagdagan pa rin ang knowledge. Kailangan nag aaral pa din.

I’m not born with fast hands. I’m not exposed in dental works when I was young because there’s no dentist in the family (the closest would be my mom’s second cousin who encouraged me to study Dentistry). Whenever there would be a cancellation of classes, or change in schedule I actually freak out that I may not be able to finish the long procedures in my clinical requirements on time. Advance ako mag isip kaya lagi akong may sinusunod na schedule. Actually I have many planners for my clinic hours. Pag nag announce ang school na walang pasok sira na ang sched ko. That's one thing I hate the most. I hate when my schedule is not followed. But as times pass by, I learned to cope up with quick change of schedules and just get over it. Dati kase I over think every single requirement everytime magkaka problema sa schedule ko like I am suppose to do the impression after my patient get approved pero hindi naman na approve nung day ng approval at kailangan ko ulit maghanap ng bagong pasyente. Wala naman akong magagawa. Yes, nakakasakit ng ulo lalo na pag may deadline. I realized that there are really things that I cannot control even if I dedicate my time and put my heart in it. Tanggapin na lang and bawing-bawi dapat sa susunod.

Patients, patients… kailangan din madaming patience. Akala nyo ba madali maghanap ng pasyente? Uhm, for restoration(pasta), oral prophylaxis (linis) and extractions a lot of people are willing so there wouldn’t be a problem. But if the requirements are Anterior and Posterior RCT, PJC, Fixed bridge, dentures and Perio I don’t think finding ideal patients would be an easy one. Whenever I look for patients it’s either I’m with my mom or I’m with Paulo. Nakakarating kami ng bundok or sa mga lugar na first time pa lang namin napupuntahan. We go to places with indigent persons who cannot afford dental treatments or places not reached by dental missions. We are able to find patients but the down side is, most people there were not able to afford in going to school and that means no read no write. Sino bang middle class ang may perio case?? Most likely indigent people talaga. But, ideal patients nga sila but because they cannot understand the treatment plan for them they are hard to convince about the treatment. Just earlier, I called the perio clinical px that Paulo and I found 2 weeks ago. I asked her if she could come and told me that ayaw na nya kase nabalitaan nya na sobrang madugo daw pag nagpalinis ng ngipin kase yun yung naexperience nung kakilala nya. It is not really bloody like madugo na parang surgery. Pero hello, perio clinical yun. Simpleng pag nag toothbrush nga minsan pag may gingivitis nadugo na ang gums, what more if for almost 35-40 years of existence e wala pa ding experience sa pagpapalinis or pagpapadentista and there is a problem with the oral hygiene. Kahit siguro anong ganda ng explanation pag hindi talaga willing ang pasyente wala talagang magagawa. Another problem is after an appointment or two (especially for long procedures) there are patients who are not coming back to continue the whole procedure due to certain reasons and excuses or sometimes, they are not replying to our calls and texts anymore or the worst is pagbabababaan pa ng phone. This is one of the causes of our delay. We have to look for another patient, go through approvals, laboratory tests and defenses before we could start another procedure. I hope my future patients would understand the struggle that we face when they leave us. We’re not after the requirement only but we’re after their satisfaction and the success of our treatment for them. Masarap sa feeling na ngingiti ang pasyente sa harap mo pagkatapos mo gawin ang treatment lalo na pag anterior ang involved! Haha! Nakakataba ng puso na you were able to see the difference of their smile before and after the treatment. I have several patients who I’m really grateful for. They are the ones who were with me until I finished the procedure whether short or long. A simple “thank you” from them already makes my heart melt. I'm really thankful for their trust. :)

Lastly, Being a Dentistry student is one of the most expensive course I know. This is not to brag about me being a Dentistry student but this is me being proud of how far I’ve come through the means of my single mom. I didn’t come from a rich family but I’m sure I’m raised by an industrious and “madiskarte” mom. I don’t want my mom to freak out about my tuition fee so a month before enrollment I already tell her how much it would be. This semester’s tuition fee is so far the most expensive (around Php 78k plus). We also spend almost Php 10k for our consumables every sem in the clinic and would be spending Php 20k or more for the remaining surgery materials that we will be buying (luxators and pedo forceps). There are a lot of expenses that my mom and I are going through in every semester but the thing is that I make sure to utilize all my dental instruments, take care of it and just do my best as a Dentistry student. For those parents who have children who dream of becoming a dentist in the future, let them be. I know some who wants to enter this course pero natatakot sila kase daw magastos, baka hindi kaya or whatsoever. I tell you, you can! Dumaan din kami dyan ng mama ko. We thought we couldn't but we're almost in the finish line. Isipin nyo na lang, Kinaya nga ng mama ni Shaira magpa aral ng dentista, ako pa kaya! :) And for those children who are willing to take up this course, magsipag kayo and show your parents that you're determined to be a dentist. Tulungan nyo din ang parents nyo sa pag iisip at kapain ang parents pagdating sa gastos. Palakasin nyo din ang loob nila at unawain nyo sila pag hindi nila nabibigay ang mga gusto nyo kase pinaprioritize nila ang studies nyo. :)

I am writing all of these now kase nasestress ako. Natatakot ako. I have fears when it comes to my course. Siguro dahil kaninang umaga tinawagan ko yung perio clinical px ko pero yun nga ganon ang nangyari tapos napepressure ako kase ang daming requirements ngayong clinic 3 (nakita ko na naman ang tally sheet haha), tapos binigay pa kanina ang dalwang napaka kapal na libro ng HD at OSS and lastly nagcheck na naman ako ng schedule at nakita kong ang unti na nga ng clinic time (tapos puro pa clinic interruptions dahil ng foundation week at pistakasan week) tapos umaapaw ang requirements. Jusko! But above anything else, I feel blessed that I am raised and born with a mom who has a positive mind set. Nakakahawa sya! Ibang level talaga. Sometimes I can’t help but over think especially if I feel like what I’m doing is close to failing. I’ve also reached that point wherein I feel like Dentistry is not really for me. Pero my mama always comes to the rescue and sya talaga ang nakakapagpa bago ng mood ko. She's one of a kind! After every breakdown I come to think and realize how lucky I am to be experiencing all of these. It only means I’m close to where I want to be and that is to become a doctor in the very near future.

To all of you who have read this, I hope you’ll respect and love your dentists. They’ve come a lot of struggles before they reach this point in their profession. I hope you respect us, your studentists, as well. I hope you appreciate all our efforts in providing the best service that we can give. Yes, we’re still students and we’re still in the process of learning so please don’t expect too much from us. I hope you still say “thank you” for the free service that we give. And to all the extendees that wasn’t able to graduate on time, I know you did your best to run after all the requirements. (Naniniwala akong 7 years talaga ang Dentistry and not 6 years! Haha) I know you had several breakdowns too and I know you’re over it but I wish you all the luck and hope you all the best this year. :) I salute all of us, and all in this profession. I’m a proud Dentist in the future. :)

PS. Hindi naman talaga related yung pictures sa post ko. Naghanap lang talaga ako ng pwedeng paglabasan ng stress. Haha

xoxo,

About Post Author

Shaira Manalo

Shaira Angelique Manalo // Life + Style Blogger // Dentist in the making.

4 comments:

JuliaAugust 30, 2018 at 4:20 AM
I would never have thought you have to find your patients yourself! It feels surreal to me that you have to find the people you practice on. This post was very insightful, keep going Shaira and you'll make it I'm sure!!

Julia x
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UnknownSeptember 5, 2018 at 8:01 PM
Go doctor! Been there exactly.
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