Senior Selectives

My school has started a cool little extracurricular called Senior Selectives, in which senior dental students can do extra work in an area of interest. It's basically an individualized class. I applied and participated in Oral Pathology/Medicine last semester, which I found to be worthwhile. Definitely learned a lot in terms of treating TMD pain and seeing pathology. One of the patients I saw had oral cancer that did not get picked up by her ENT physician. Also diagnosed trigeminal neuralgia, BMMP, TONS of lichen planus, among other conditions.

I applied again this semester for Pediatrics and got in. I've only done two sessions, but I'm actually enjoying it. Pedo at my school doesn't have a great reputation with the dental students, as we basically waste away for a week or two doing cleanings on 17-year-olds who have all their adult teeth and are treated the same as our adult patients. It's boring.

I saw a little 6-year-old kid this afternoon, which is actually a first for me to see someone so young, apart from my dental missions trips. Thankfully she was very compliant and had minimal fear of the dentist. But beyond that, I think I thrive on one-on-one tutoring and guidance which I get through this program. I suppose everyone does, but the student-to-teacher ratio is often quite skewed in any institution. But I like that I can ask questions right away, and see my own patients knowing that I have immediate backup, and am pulled aside regularly to be shown interesting cases. So far, all the faculty have been very engaged and invested in my education in their specialties.

One of my regular group practice faculty happens to practice up in Pedo once in a while. I randomly started chatting and talked a bit about my grievances as a student and what the future kind of holds for me. I'm honestly a bit discouraged by the education I've gotten at my school and was wondering out loud if I would be okay "in the real world". Unexpectedly got a lot of helpful advice and encouragement, which I am super thankful for.

In conclusion: a fan of Senior Selectives!