Self-Care as a Student Dental Practitioner

Welcome to the world of university! As demanding as your studies are, it’s important to keep well, plan, and get help early if something’s not right. Here’s some advice to get the most out of your university life. 

If you thought the dental school admissions guide and application paperwork was intense, the number of checks, forms, policies and tests required once you start your education pathway is on another level. 

Your educational institution will be registering you as a student dental practitioner with the Dental Board of Australia. Your educational institution will also need to meet insurance obligations and any other requirements for you to undertake training in teaching clinics and hospitals. So, it’s important to be ready to dive right in once the year gets underway. 

With any administrative process, there are a few things that can help you stay on top of things. Here are a few tips as you begin your dental school journey:

• Duplicate all original documents (including identification and policies) and file at least two quality copies of anything you hand in or sign with the originals. 

• Enter all key dates, including due dates and expiries, in your diary.

• Make an encrypted digital folder on the cloud so you can access important personal documents anytime, anywhere.

• Always respect patient privacy. Clinical records (including notes, photos, X-rays, and voice recordings) are highly sensitive documents protected by law. Never copy, modify or remove any part of a patient record.

Your life as you knew it has changed. It’s been upended by contact hours and an inflexible, yet ever-changing, timetable. Add learning a mammoth campus into the mix and it’s easy to get lost or feel like you're falling behind. 

While it can be tricky to balance university, work and social commitments, there are a few strategies that can help you to stay afloat. Routines are grounding, and with the right planning, you can allocate your time according to your different needs.

Time Management and Planning

Use calendars and a diary to keep track of your various commitments. At the start or end of any given week, enter your appointments, classes, and reminders for each day – as well as a to-do list for yourself. You’ll feel more accomplished by ticking off things.

MaintainaProfessionalAppearance

As a dental student, you’ll spend the majority of your time in close contact with patients and classmates. Your educational institution may have dress or uniform requirements that you may need to meet, particularly when working in clinics but often also in preclinical areas. It is also worthwhile to consider your general grooming and ensure you are always well presented and looking professional!

Life Admin

Always make time for ‘life admin’. Consider ‘life admin’ as an unavoidable part of your schedule; if neglected, things such as banking, cleaning, meal preparation, laundry, and shopping will pile up and only add to the stress of your day. Chores can also be a welcome break from your books, desk and screens, or scheduled into a particular day of the week to help create a routine. 

Another important part of your routine is finding a good general practice close to your home or university and sticking to it. As a future health professional, you need a close relationship with your GP to ensure you’re in good form year-round, and help you get better when you’re feeling down or unwell.

Be Early

If you’re on time, you’re as good as late. Being punctual is an expectation in the professional world and a good habit to create while you’re still studying. Aim to be early to everything in your schedule. Allow for double your estimated commute time to allow for parking woes, strikes, traffic jams, and other inconveniences.

Consistency is Key

It can take time to get into the habit of scheduling systems, as well as syncing digital and paper records, but consistency will go a long way to helping you stay afloat. Be kind to yourself, and don’t be afraid to search up strategies or ask your friends and family for their advice. 

Continuous Learning

Setting aside time to learn new content and revisit previous content is non-negotiable. There's a lot to learn in a very short amount of time, and without revision, it's easy to gradually forget. Drawing anatomy, making flash cards, creating memory palaces, models, and mnemonics are all ways to help you revise core concepts.

Audiobooks and podcasts are another useful tool, which can also be used for you to hear people’s stories and learn about coping mechanisms and strategies.

Take a Break

Try and preserve one day a week to relax with low-intensity activities, catch up on sleep, and unwind.

Attendance

As a full-time clinical student, university will take priority over many other things in your life, and there are high attendance requirements to satisfy. Try to keep absences to a minimum and only for the most unavoidable and urgent commitments.

Many of your future colleagues can surely relate to the panic and rush of finalising essays, picking up the slack on group tasks at the eleventh hour, or staying up all night to squeeze in a few more hours of revision. However, doing so can quickly become a habit and be detrimental to your day-to-day function, especially because one of the most important factors in committing learning to long-term memory is deep sleep.

Use a planner to schedule stages of projects and keep a running record of your study time. Some good study habits to put into practice are as follows:

• Use a planner to schedule stages of projects and keep a running record of your study time.

• Organise your notes so they are clear and legible for when they're needed.

• Pouches and brightly coloured highlighters can make your notes easier to memorise. 

• Consider time management strategies such as the Eisenhower Matrix and the Pomodoro Technique to better focus on your tasks and keep track of the time. 

• Go to bed earlier than you think you should. 

• Avoid caffeine, chocolate, nicotine and sedatives when you're winding down, and stay off devices when getting ready for bed.

Financial education is just important as your usual studies. Make sure to make use of bank budgeting tools, keep track of your day-to-day expenses and follow easy budgeting tips to stay on top of your finances. 

Your teachers at university have a slightly different role from those from your earlier schooling. You’ll meet administrators, clinical educators, clinical coordinators, clinical supervisors, lecturers, and tutors – and the clinical staff were in your current position once upon a time.

Seeking mentorship early from experienced clinicians, trusted friends, and senior students is a simple way to help create support systems during your studies. Dental school has never been easy, but common experience brings people together, and a robust support network will serve you well for life.

Here’s a guide on how to navigate your course staff:

• Know who to contact and be friendly, open, and transparent. They’re there to help you learn and succeed.

• Good working relationships go a long way – your educators today may be your job interview panelists or mentors after graduation.

• Life events and illnesses crop up unexpectedly so be prepared with the right documentation and communicate early through the correct channels. 

• Plans change, technology fails, and people make mistakes. There is a lot of flux in dental schools – try to be patient and understanding.

• Never assume you may proceed with a procedure on a patient (simulated or real) or enter a clinical area without debriefing and seeking your supervisor's explicit permission.

• If something is not right, let your supervisor know straight away. Accidents will happen,but we all need to play our part to avoid conflict, identify errors professionally, and prevent catastrophes.

• Remember that rules are in place to keep everyone safe. Don’t take it personally if you are pulled up on mistakes – it happens to everyone, especially when learning. Apologise, seek clarification on best practice, and try not to repeat them.

You may not all be on the same professional career path, but you are surrounded by potential future colleagues in your classmates. Getting to know them can only help you in your career, so when meeting new people, think in terms of establishing lifelong connections.

My advice for cohesive and warm peer relationships is:

• Make yourself known and use others’ names. 

• Avoid gossip at all costs.

• Break the ice with activities or games. Things like foosball, pool or ping-pong tables can usually be found near student recreation areas. 

• Be respectful in person and on social media. Adjust your privacy settings and never post media of others without permission.

• Avoid banter and dirty jokes. They’re unprofessional and there’s always a risk they may not land well. 

• Try and find a study buddy and meet regularly for a bite to eat and some group learning. The odds are you’ll understand something they don’t and vice versa. 

• Attend as many student events as you can reasonably manage. Creating connections can only help you in the future.

Meeting new people and gaining new experiences is a positive thing, but it can also be hard to establish a healthy balance between your work, school, and social life. Spending too much time on any one of them can cause the others to slip and cost you your psychical wellness or your mental wellbeing.

Expanding your horizons outside of your immediate industry circle is a good way to not let the stresses of exams and study disrupt your healthy recreational outlets.

• Try joining university societies outside the world of dentistry. From arts and crafts and languages to gaming and TV shows, there’s something for everyone. 

• There’s no better way to get your blood pumping, blow off some steam, make new friends, and have fun than with sport! Consider a gym membership, group class, joining a team, or hitting the beach, field, park, or pool for impromptu games with your mates.

• If you choose to drink alcohol, do so sparingly, under safe conditions, and in safe environments with people who you trust. Stay hydrated, order food with your drink, limit your consumption, don’t leave your drink unattended, avoid shots, ‘pre-gaming,’ and stronger drinks (cocktails, spirits etc.), and always have a plan B for getting home safely – it is against the law to drive or ride under the influence.

Intense studies, big life changes, strict clinics, and competitive peers can stir up a lot of different feelings. It’s important to take time to stop and smell the roses and have a break from your very busy schedule.

Mindfulness is a great strategy to pay more attention to how you're doing in your day. You can access many guides and tools to practise mindfulness online or do something as simple as starting a diary or journal. Journalling is a great way to express and process your feelings – especially after a high-stress or particularly emotional day. 

The Dental Board of Australia has also devised a Reflective Practice Tool to helregistered dental practitioners reflect on their individual knowledge and skills and how they relate to their current practice. While it’s not designed for students, it’s a good resource, and reflecting on your knowledge and skill is a healthy habit to establish and will only help you in your future career.

If you’re struggling with your mental health, get help early. Anger, fear, sadness and stress are normal to experience, but they shouldn’t interfere with your daily life. There is no shame in speaking to someone you trust about problems, and professional help is always a good place to start. 

For free, private and confidential advice 24/7, you can contact Dental Practitioner Support. Their counselling service can go a long way during times of difficulty which we all face no matter what stage of your dental career you’re at. Know that no matter what you are struggling with, quality help is available if you need it.

Damian Siderides is a passionate dental health practitioner and medical student dedicated to educating the general public on what being an oral health therapist is all about. In addition to seeing patients, Damian has worked as a clinical educator, mentors new graduates, and volunteers for the professional associations.

Dental Practitioner Support is a 24/7 national and confidential support service for dental practitioners and students across Australia. If you’d like to chat to someone, you can call our support line on 1800 377 700 or learn more here.