Assisting??? Students, assistants, self?

[I'mFillingFine]

I was wondering what the policies are at your respective dental schools about assistants. I know that some schools with assisting programs have professional/student assistants, others have fellow dental classmates (if you can find one or get an agreement going), and at others (like Penn) no one seemed to have an assistant.

I think it's great to learn how to do stuff yourself, but without any assistant, can't you compromise sitting positions (possibly severely injuring yourself down the road, like many unfortunate dentists I know )?? Also, when you DO get an assistant, wouldn't it take longer to learn true 4-handed technique if you never did it at school?

Anyone know how it happens at Buffalo? This seems like one of the issues that may not seem relevant at first, but may make a huge different in 3rd and 4th year clinics.

Thanks!

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[Biogirl361]

here, the third and fourth year students either have first and second year dental student assistants, or have no assistant. This way the first years get to see what goes on in the real clinics as well as getting to do some easy stuff like impressions, pouring models, and other easy chairside stuff, the second years get to do more complicated assisting duties (in addition to the fillings and cleanings they are normally scheduled for), and the third and fourth years get to learn how to work with assistants as well as on their own.

 

[ItsGavinC]

At Arizona my class, the D3 class, is the first in the clinic, so we use each other for assistants if we need them. Each care area also has an assistant assigned to it, and we may use them if we wish to. I've also used our instructors quite a bit on occasion.

Our D2 students should be entering the clinic this coming semester, so I'm venturing that they'll be helping us to some extent.

 

[toofache32]

We had to work with an assistant 5 times each semester, which isn't much. I got so used to doing things on my own that they just got in the way. They would grade us and mark us down for grabbing our own instruments.

 

[I'mFillingFine]

We had to work with an assistant 5 times each semester, which isn't much. I got so used to doing things on my own that they just got in the way. They would grade us and mark us down for grabbing our own instruments.

That sounds unfair! Not train you to use an assistant, but then take off when you don't use one.

I mean, it's good that they take it seriously if you have to reach across the patient or twist your body in a poor way ergonomically (again, putting yourself at danger for longterm back or shoulder problems), but that needs to go hand in hand with teaching 4-handed technique!!!

So it sounds overall that if you really want to use an assistant, you can dig one up from underclassmen, classmates, instructors, etc.....

Any schools have assistants going through assistant certification?