Australasian Dentist Magazine Sept-Oct 2021

Category 138 Australasian Dentist I f you are like me you may have both fond and traumatic recollections of those days of cramming knowledge; fond recollections of university medals or academic achievement. Whilst the burning resentment still simmers when recalling the belittlement of the un-initiated by those bequeathed with the power to decree you with a suitable grade. And those days in clinic when demonstrators felt compelled to exert their authority on the nervous first-time practitioner. It’s a world of academia full of research and evaluation- a shrine of knowledge delivered by individuals who often did not practice beyond the confines of the institution. The quest to recall facts repeatedly seemed to surpass the acquisition of the adroit abilities essential for successful clinical practice. Strong friendships were forged with fellow students during this time of erroneous enquiry. These friendships provided a valuable support network which aided many emotional students during this demanding time. Having graduated fromuniversity with a GPA of 7 and procuring accolades from university faculty and fellow students I felt confident that I was well equipped to deal with what was ahead of me. I left the confines of university full of enthusiasm ready to cure the world of dental disease. I was very quick to find out that I didn’t know what I didn’t know. University provided the start of my education, although failed to fill the many gaps required to be a valuable practitioner. Sometimes the aperture of these knowledge gaps seemed great. Many times, during my undergraduate degree I was told you don’t need to know that as it is not in your scope of practice. Fast forward to the real world of dental practice and yes, there were many things that I was not scoped to do, although dentists and patients assumed I had intimate knowledge of these things. The truth though, my undergraduate degree did not provide this to me. The general assumption is that OHTs or hygienists have the same training as dentists albeit shorter in duration. This is not the case. The education and training afforded to OHTs and hygienists is vastly different in both quality and quantity. The soft skills required of clinicians did also not form part of my undergraduate degree. This is something that came with intentional training: The subtleness of appropriate communication skills, using open-ended questions and reflective listening; or providing patients with all the information to make their own informed decision about their individual treatment needs. An ability to recognise all these options is also imperative for all clinicians and not something university equipped me with. The competence to recognise that there may be more than one way – not solely “the way I was taught at university” to restore or preserve the dentition. Seeking valuable mentoring opportunities was imperative to my clinical success. It’s something that I was very fortunate to have vast access to. Many practitioners though, do not have this luxury, and the support network required to excel clinically is simply not present. I do not perform any clinical procedure the same way I did when I first graduated in 2005. The foundation afforded to me by my undergraduate degree gave me a starting point, not the terminus I assumed I had achieved upon my graduation. The pursuit of lifelong learning opportunities is the only way to provide the patients we serve with the dental care they both expect and deserve. u About the author Robyn Russell is a Co-Founder of Dental Health Network, an independent provider of CPD events for dentists & Oral Health Therapists, focused on teaching our unique approach to the multi-disciplinary private practice, where all team members work to the ceiling of their scope. What university did not prepare me for! Bachelor of Oral Health, or Bachelor of Dental Science – it’s your licence to the world of dentistry. By Robyn Russell Robyn Russell Intentional Pr ctitioner