The Dental Profession
As a senior biomedical engineering student at RPI, I am receiving a particularly well-rounded education in engineering, complemented by studies in the sciences and humanities. During my sophomore year, I became interested in dentistry and began to select courses that would prepare me for dental school. While this meant additional work, I improved my study skills, and I have earned a grade point average of 3.4 over the last three years. Because of this rigorous course load, I will be graduating this August instead of last May. I had planned on applying to dental school this fall for the 1988-89 entering class, but after receiving your letter earlier this month and subsequently speaking with the admissions office, I found that it was still possible to apply for the September 2002 entering class.
My interest in the health care field began while I was in high school. I was first introduced to many different aspects of the &...
Professionalism in the dental profession refers to our responsibilities and obligations that exists throughout our entire dental career. “Professional competence is the habitual and judicious use of communication, knowledge, technical skills, clinical reasoning, emotions, values and reflection in daily practice for the benefit of the individual and community being served (Kirk, 2007).” A health professional must be able to regulate their own behavior and comply with a code of ethics in professional practice. Fundamental principles of professionalism include primacy of patient welfare, social justice and patient autonomy (Kirk, 2007).
Out of all the careers in the world, a dental hygienist probably has one of the most interesting and flexible jobs. Not only is this career interesting and flexible, but it is also very helpful towards others and usually pays pretty well too. Many people become dental hygienists because of the easy education requirements and high demand for their jobs. These days, dental hygienists are more respected and being hired more rapidly due to the fact that more and more people are keeping and taking better care of their teeth. They also say that at the end of the day they feel accomplished in knowing that they helped improved their patient’s health, even if only in the slightest way (“Interview with a Professional”).
Did you know that a dental hygienist could make a slightly large mistake without asking a simple question? Well they can, the most common question is if their patient would like one or more crown placed in there mouth at a time. In order to succeed as a dental hygienist everyone is required to go to either a two or four year college and major in dental hygiene. Many people believe that it is easy to be a dental hygienist because they think that all that is required to do is clean teeth, but its actually quite difficult. Making sure the patients have excellent oral care is very important
There is no exact date to when the discovery of tobacco occurred, but tobacco dates as far back to the Mayans and Aztecs. The Mayans burned tobacco as incense on the tribute altars to please the gods. The Aztecs used the smoke of tobacco in ceremonies were captives were slain in sacrifice to the god Tezcatlipoca. Tobacco was believed to be a curing drug that would relive pain. The first European that saw tobacco ...
I want to be a dental assistant focusing on orthodontia. Usually when I go to the orthodontist I don't see the doctor first I see the assistant. After the assistant takes off my rubber bands the doctor usually comes over and tells the assistant what to do to my braces. Usually the assistant changes wires, rubber bands, tightens wires, and just about everything else. I choose this career because I want to change people's lives and how they look at themselves when they smile. Teeth are one of the main points of self confidence. Before I can become a dental assistant I have to go to a trade school. Then I can go find an office to work at to start my career.
I am currently studying at CFCC to get into the Dental Assisting program. Upon graduating, I would like to acquire a job at an orthodontists office. The employment for this occupation is actually expected to grow much faster than average; between 2008 and 2018, employment is expected to grow 36 percent. The job demand in the Cape Fear area seems to be fairly higher than other areas in North Carolina, and higher than some other states as well.
When envisaging a future career, we generally tend to base our ideas off of the most known careers such as doctors, chefs, police officers and fireman, without the knowledge of the other possible career opportunities. After doing weeks of extensive research, I found a very feasible and riveting future career, a Dental Hygienist. Dental Hygiene is a preventive oral health profession that helps people maintain better dental health for the future. Though this career seems quite easy, it’s a crucial job that adults and children of all ages need.
I can remember coming to school and hearing all my classmates talk about how much they hated going to the dentist. Going to the dentist was one thing that I have always loved to do. The sound of the tools and just the smell of the clinic was never a bad atmosphere to me, I actually enjoy the dentist. Laura was my first dental hygienist from as far back as I can remember, and she had the whitest teeth I have ever seen! I have honestly came to the conclusion that I am obsessed with teeth. With this being said, I have always felt and known that I wanted to be a dental hygienist. I am currently in my first year here at Community College getting my preq for dental hygiene. I always get the question, “Why would you want to look in somebody’s mouth all day?” After I hear this question and then I start thinking to myself. I want to be a dental hygienist because first of all someone has got to do it and secondly, I think smiles light up rooms and if I can help get more smiles in this world then that is what I am going to do. With seeking my career in dental hygiene I have great hopes of being able to help people understand and find compassion in caring for their teeth and inspiring them as Laura inspired me.
I currently attend Tennessee State University as a freshman. I plan on majoring in Dental Hygiene. I am the first to graduate and attend college in my family so of course everybody has high expectations from me. My mom and dad sacrificed a lot for me to attend school and get a good education and they taught me that without education you really can’t do much with your life. I want to have a good career and a good degree so I can be successful in life. I want to make my parents happy and very proud of the young lady they have raised. My father’s dream has always been for me to major in Dental Hygiene because of how successful I can be. And my dream has always been to make my dad (my inspiration and my role model) happy. When I started off trying to decide my major I had a very hard time because I honestly didn’t know what I wanted to do. I didn’t want to choose a major that I couldn’t really do much with or find a good job with. I asked my dad for help and he told me that this major would fit me perfectly and we looked up more information about it and we looked up the salary for it too and that’s when I knew I had found my major.
Healthcare is intriguing. The health and wellness of people always has been intriguing and always will be. My background in healthcare came as an environmental pass down with a father as a Registered Nurse and a mother in healthcare management. It was inevitable that the journey of healthcare started being instilled without my knowledge of it, as a young child. A constant learning in the health sciences and management directed my way. By the start of college, the intrigue lead to compassion, lighting a fire for the administration of healthcare. This calling spurred by a great woman, my mother, who is a national redesign award winner by the Bureau of Primary Healthcare in Health Disparities. These footsteps down her similar path with careful guidance, but not to be confused with an easy path.
The first step in deciding what practice setting and clinical model that I would prefer. I did research and decided that a primary care provider would fit my career goals. A primary care nurse practitioner is defined as a nurse that works in a practice setting that has "the provision of integrated, accessible health care services by clinicians who are accountable for addressing a large majority of personal health needs, developing sustained partnerships with patients, and practicing in the context of family and community" (Anderson & O’Grady, 2009, p. 383). I believe my past and future education, along with my years of clinical experience, has prepared me to take a novice role as a NP in this care setting. When I graduate and I am working in a clinical practice setting, I look forward to continuing my education through my practice through formal and informal training.
Smoking cigarettes is a detrimental practice not only to the smoker, but also to everyone around the smoker. According to an article from the American Lung Association, “Health Effects” (n.d.), “Smoking is the leading cause of preventable death in the U.S., causing over 438,000 deaths per year”. The umbrella term for tobacco use includes the use of cigarettes, cigars, e-cigs and chewing tobacco. While tobacco causes adverse health consequences, it also has been a unifying factor for change in public health. While the tobacco industries targets specific populations, public health specifically targets smokers, possible smokers, and the public to influence cessation, policies and education.
Every year cigarette smoking is responsible for 500,000 premature deaths (Nugel), you do not want to be just another statistic, do you? America’s first cash crop was tobacco. That means that tobacco has been around for a really long time. It was not until 1865, though, that cigarettes were sold commercially. They were sold to soldiers at the end of the Civil War (Dowshen). From then, cigarettes spread like wildfire, and it was not until 1964 that anyone made a stand about the negative effects of tobacco and cigarettes. People start smoking for all different reasons, some to fit in and some to “escape”. Regardless, it is a horrible habit. 3900 children will try their first cigarette today. Amongst adults who currently smoke, 68% of them began at age 18 or younger, and 85% at 21 or younger (American Lung Association). And of all those people, 70% say if they were given another chance they would never have picked up that first cigarette (Tobacco Free Maine). Smoking is responsible for 1 and 5 deaths in the united states, and is the number one preventable cause of death (NLH). Smoking burns and there is no doubt about that, but before one picks up that cigarette, understand the negative effects on not only oneself, but others affected by ones poor choices, like second-hand smoke. Because of smoking cigarettes, many types of cancer, decrease of life quality, and negative health effects have become all too common in the world today.
Reflecting back on the all the information learned this semester, I am amazed at how much I learned. Working in healthcare makes you aware of a lot of the topics that were covered, however, when you apply it to yourself, in a personal relationship, it becomes much more powerful what the impact of each topic is.
One of the biggest decisions in life is what career path you want to take and do for the rest of your life, what interests you, what you excel at, and other benefits that may attract that profession to you. The career and profession I have chosen to write about is Dentistry. Dentistry provides a very family friendly job, with a clean environment, good pay and hours, and the satisfaction of being able to interact with patients and help them in the way that only you can.