With a high level of competition, Dental school is very tough to get into. Successful applicants must demonstrate a dedication to helping others, have a wide range of extra-curricular activities and show evidence of high academic performance. Therefore, life before dental school was incredibly demanding meaning any spare time I had was devoted to studying and fulfilling extra-curricular activities. Luckily, I managed to do well in my exams and was awarded a place to study at The University of Manchester, School of Dentistry.
At University, the first two years was mainly based on theory which meant lots of lectures and then additional studying outside of that time. Thankfully, the lectures were for only a few hours a day which allowed plenty of time to learn outside. However, after the second year, much of the teaching was in clinics which meant studying needed to be done after the standard 9-5 hours clinical hours. This meant less socialising compared to friends outside dentistry and more long evenings in the library. The last two years were very demanding and lead to the final examinations which were a combination of OSCE’s, practicals, written and verbal tests.
If you are thinking of becoming a dental clinician, be prepared to put the study time in (even after you graduate) if you want to continue to progress further with your dentistry career. After I graduated, I gained a considerable amount of experience working in numerous practices and was awarded a Diploma of Membership at the Royal College of Surgeons of England (MJDF RCS Eng). Since then, I have regularly attended post graduate courses to widen my skills and knowledge, the most notable courses include:
- British Academy of Cosmetic Dentists.
- The Perfect Smile Comprehensive Hands-on course.
- 9 Month Intensive Orthodontic Course.
- Enlighten Certified (Tooth Whitening).
- Inman Aligner Certified (Orthodontics).
- A Master class in Restorative Dentistry.
- 2-year Comprehensive Implant Course by PID (Harley Street).
- A Master Class in Composite Restorations.
- Basic Botox and dermal fillers.
- Advanced Botox.
- Digital Dentistry IDDA.
- A Masterclass in CT Scanning and reporting.
