Kaelan O' Shea graduated from University College Cork in June 2013. He currently works in Wigan as part of the Dental Foundation Year 1 Scheme.
The life of a dental student isn't easy. They really make you work for it if you want those letters after your name.
It was five long years of endless exams, tutorials and case presentations. It was half a decade of late nights in the library and even earlier mornings on clinic. Those last three months of University were probably the most difficult and stressful time in my life, and then suddenly, the whole thing was over. On the morning of May 24th 2013, I woke up to an email which said I was now a qualified dentist.
Events moved very quickly after that email. Graduation day came and went, I bid farewell to the dental hospital and walked out of UCC as Dr. Kaelan O' Shea with a shiny new BDS degree under my arm. I still have absolutely no memory of the graduation party and the class holiday was just as ridiculous as I'd hoped. Better yet, I was offered a job by the dental practice I really wanted and there would be three others from my class working in the same area. Things literally couldn't get any better.
And so I moved out of home for the first time in twenty-four years and left Ireland. I acquired my first apartment, right in the middle of Manchester, living with those three other lunatics I had qualified with. We registered with the NHS and GDC, learnt about Council Tax and even battled it out with the water company who billed us for the equivalent of 18,000 showers we apparently took during the first two weeks. On the last weekend of July with the sun beating down, we sat on our balcony looking out over Manchester and all agreed the last five years had been worth it.
It was just around that time that a worrying realisation started to creep up on us. We were now fully qualified dentists and on Monday morning we would start foundation training in our new practices, with our own patients. All the safety nets of the dental hospital would be removed and there wasn't going to be a demonstrator looking over our shoulder checking everything we did. These patients would come in with a problem and they would expect us to have the knowledge and skill to treat them. The thought of it terrified me. Yes, I was treating patients for the last three years but the idea of making all my own decisions and carrying out my own treatment plans, suddenly felt like a huge responsibility.
I'll admit I didn't get much sleep the night before my first day. My biggest fear was being completely lost, missing a crucial feature during the examination or my treatment having disastrous results. My first patient didn't do much to settle my nerves. I was presented with a man who was attacked with a hammer the night before and all his front teeth were smashed in. It was around this moment that I seriously began to question my career choice.
I can laugh now when I think of those first few days but at the time it was a baptism of fire. I've spent over six months in practice and looking back over everything so far I can honestly say I've loved every minute of it. If I could go back and give myself some advice before I started, this is what I would say:
"You are not going to know absolutely everything about dentistry when you start foundation training. You will not remember every lecture youve ever had and it will take a few years of experience to become comfortable as a practitioner. There will be areas of dentistry where you excel and areas well outside your comfort zone. There are going to be times in practice when you are completely overwhelmed by a patient's dental problems. It's important to accept this and it's even more important to realise when something is beyond your skill level. A big part of this job is identifying your weaknesses and taking the time to build upon them. If you come across something that completely mystifies you, you can always ask the opinion of a colleague or specialist.
"Remember, you are not alone! There isn't going to be a demonstrator looking over your shoulder all the time but there will always be help and guidance available. Your educational supervisor will be there when you need them"I am in constant communication with my trainer. I get her advice on complicated cases and I call her in to look at aspects of treatment I'm finding difficult. I also ask the opinions of some of the other associates and they're happy to help. Every person in this profession started where you are now and they know how difficult it can be for a newly qualified dentist. Asking the guidance and advice of other more experienced members of your dental team is one of the most important ways that you will develop as a dentist.
During your foundation training things will go wrong. Unfortunately in this profession, it's inevitable. There will be times, no matter how much care you take and despite all your best efforts, when things just won't work. There will be fillings which won't settle unsuccessful root canals and seemingly simple ten minute extractions which turn into hour long surgical procedures. It's frustrating, demoralising and you'll feel like the worst dentist in the world but don't let it ruin your life. When things go wrong, accept it, if it's your fault own up to it and then focus your efforts on fixing the problem. You'll learn more from your failures than successes. Identify why it happened and use the experience to ensure it doesn't happen again.
Always prepare your patients for the worst case scenario. If you are a bit unsure as to whether an aspect of treatment will be successful, tell your patient and inform them of the possibility that it may not work. Nothing we do in dentistry will last forever and you will never be able to put a 100% guarantee on anything you do. The best piece of dental advice I was ever given was by my restorative demonstrator in university. He told me...
"When you warn a patient beforehand that something may not work, the patient sees you as cautious and thoughtful practitioner. But, when you tell them why something didn't work after it's already failed, then you're just some guy making an excuse."
All the best in your exams and in your future careers!
Dr. Kaelan O' Shea BDS(Hons)