As an aspiring dentist, what aspects of the job should I focus on to stay motivated?

[HopefulDr201]

It's been 2 weeks on the job as a dental assistant in a pediatric dental office. I have a very good handle of my responsibilities already. However, I find the job itself getting monotonous (i.e. bringing patients into their assigned rooms, taking bite wings and pano x-rays of the teeth, replacing trays, autoclaving basic routine instruments, assisting with suction and procedures) I'm sure you get the idea 🙂. It's been a challenge to see the bigger picture for myself while I'm on the job.

1. Now that I have a good handle of my responsibilities, what can I do to make this job more interesting for myself as a future dentist?

2. How can I be smart about this?

3. What are some good questions I should ask the practicing dentists to pick their brains?

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[David Silva]

I did my internship with Dentzz dental in Mumbai and am still continuing with it. It was my first job and my first experience with a dental clinic. If you want to make the job more interesting for you, try to learn new aspects of dentistry or try to get some certification done so that you can use it in future. You are in a phase of learning things. So ask any doubt that comes up in your mind. I did the same.

 

[romoxx23]

There is a book by a Dr. named Tuan Pham on amazon. I think its called : Success, Profitabiliy & Destiny begins with you. I'd highly recommend to read it to help motivate you and kind of lead you to other things that may make work more interested as the prior comment stated above.

Good luck

 

[Munks]

One of the most important aspects of being a successful dentist is communicating with patients - understanding their fears, acknowledging the issues preventing them from getting treatment, and earning the patients' trust. While it is a bit different since you're in a pediatric office, one of the most important parts of the job that you should more than excel at is talking with the patients (or in this case, their parents). Learn why they haven't seen a dentist in so long, is it money, time, too many responsibilities, etc. Focus on earning the patients' trust, and it will be much easier to guide them to get whatever treatment they need. This will make you more successful in the long run of becoming a dentist, and make you far more valuable as an assistant in the short. Ask the dentists what strategies they use to earn patients' trust.

And on a sidenote, if you would eventually want to become a pediatric dentist, then by all means focus on the kids too - learning what makes them comfortable, how to stop them from misbehaving, and again how you can earn their trust. Would probably make your day-to-day easier as well 🙂.