advice for not so good sim lab/ hands on skills

[dentaldream21]

hey so I just started dental school this fall and I recently had my first experience in sim lab and I realized I have a lot of difficulty just using a drill. I'm in a fairly large class and I feel like it moves too fast for me to follow, and I feel like I had to ask teaching assistants and faculty a lot for assistance on small things. I feel I'm naturally not as gifted, or maybe my mindset for small details just isn't there? I know this is only my first encounter in sim lab, but I am very concerned. I was wondering if anyone had any advice on how to practice or how I should go about starting with weaker hand skills?

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[ysrebob]

Don't worry -- it's much too soon to know whether you have a natural flair for dentistry or will have to work for it. The bottom line is that, even if you aren't a natural (and it's too early to know), you CAN "work for it" and you WILL get there.

Early on in school, some people will find it all comes much easier than others. Perhaps you may need to put in many more hours in the D1/D2 preclinic lab than some classmates to obtain the same result. This will seem unfair, but just be patient with yourself and be persistent; that's what got you into dental school in the first place. Know that over the years, what separates the passable dentists from the GREAT dentists is not natural talent, but a willingness to continually push yourself clinically to become proficient in more procedures and produce excellent work, and a willingness invest in CE training. Anyone who is willing to make the effort can get there.

 

[ncide]

It takes time and practice. Get as many teeth as you can and pump through them.

 

[cmcner]

Practice will help for sure, what I learned is you should focus on the instructors hands and how they move and position them when they work rather than looking at the tooth they are working on.

 

[fellforit]

This is just your first prep, so it likely will get better for you soon. But in case it doesn't, or in case someone else is reading this who has been at it for awhile, here's my 2 cents. I struggled a LOT in pre-clinic. I had a hard time passing the competencies, no matter how much I practiced. I really struggled to get control over the handpiece. I came in nights and weekends. It was tough. It seemed to come so naturally to most of my friends, and I was at the bottom of the class for my handskills. It was a really rough time.

I'm a D4 now and I regularly get comments that my preps are exceptional. It gets better. You get better. You just have to put in the time... And have a really stable fourth finger rest.