DENTISTRY SHADOWING

ABOUT THE ACTIVITY

Being at the end of 11th grade I was aware of the fact that I had to start finalizing a decision on the field I wished to pursue. I had been interested in the medical field as a whole however I was uncertain on which branch of the vast field better suited my interests. Dentistry has always been an option and due to this I decided to shadow Dr. Miro during my summer holiday. On average I worked 30 hours in a time span of 10 days. Each day I worked for three hours after lunchtime.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

1.     Increased awareness of your strengths and areas for growth – This experience has allowed me to learn a lot about myself, not only my qualities but also what I desire to have in my future career. When shadowing at the dentistry it came across to me that dentistry could be considered rather monotonous in my perspective. Generally, cases are the same with a couple exceptions now and then. Having been in the given environment I learnt that I would not enjoy a repetitive profession. It taught me that I enjoy doing different things within the same field. Learning this has allowed me to grow as a person as I have learnt something important about myself that has helped me make a better decision about the career I want to pursue. Although I learnt about my ‘likes’ and ‘dislike’ I also came across my strengths and weaknesses. From this experience I have gathered that I improve the manner I use the help that is provided to me. When seeing Dr, Miro work I improve my communication skills and noticed that he was constantly asking the nurses for help even if it was the slightest thing. When reflected it came to my attention that if I were in Dr. Miro’s position I would tend to do it all on my own as I’m an independent person.

2.     Undertaking new challenges – Working experience as well as shadowing/interning was an experience that I had never undergone. This activity was new to me as I was not only learning about the medical field but also about shadowing as a whole. The first challenge I faced was being unaware of my role. As I was new to dentistry I knew that I would not be helping Dr. Miro with patients in a medical manner. Over time I got to know my role in the situation. I was there to observe, learn and later on help in passing materials and etc. This experience was a challenge as it was something completely new to me; I was in an unfamiliar environment learning and observing complex new skills.   

3.     Working collaboratively with others – The medical field involves a lot of team work and cooperation. Although there might be one main doctor, there is team work between the main doctor and the nurses who are present to help and assist. Throughout the shadowing I did not only work collaboratively with Dr. Miro but I also worked with the helpers and one of Dr. Miro’s colleagues. Working with all these different people showed me how the medical field really works and how important it is to be a team player.

4.     Show perseverance and commitment – When Dr. Miro told my mother that he would be okay with me shadowing and when I confirmed this experience with him, I had to be aware of the fact that I was committing to something. This experience has really helped me get a feel of the professional world. I had to not only commit to shadowing but also to being on time and obeying the time schedule. I had to persevere as well. At times the experience got slightly boring because my role in the situation was not the most entertaining, however due to the commitment I had already made, I had to fight through the less entertaining moments.

5.     Develop new skills – From the experience as a whole I have developed numerous skills. One of the skills was learning technical language specific to dentistry. I learnt how the tools are called, basic procedure and etc. I learnt how to communicate in a professional manner as well. I learnt this through the interaction with doctors (dentists) and nurses as well as the interaction I had with the patients. Another skill I have learnt through this is that its important to reflect. I would constantly reflect about how the day had gone when my parents asked me about it. Reflecting allowed me to see where I had to improve, what I could do better and what I was already rather strong at. This has taught me that reflection opens doors to improvement, which is an important fact to know in life.

EVIDENCE