My Practicum
Summer 2021
What I Did
For my practicum, I shadowed both a general dentist and an orthodontist. This entails me following around the doctor, and witnessing their day-to-day operations and seeing the process of patient intake and care. I decided that this is what I wanted to do for my practicum, although it is different from most other practicums, because I am trying to decide what field I want to enter after college and decide what pre-health track I want to pursue. My advice on something like this is to ask your dentist if you could shadow them (that’s what I did), or ask family friends who are in the field. It’s a lot about the connections you have for shadowing, in my experience. Most dentists and doctors care about the field they are in, and want to help people decide to enter these fields as well.
What I Learned
From my practicum, I learned the daily processes and communications within a medical office, and about the treatments offered in both a dentist’s and orthodontist’s office. I was able to view the patient workflow and understand the medical and business aspects of these offices. The most important part of my shadowing experience was the conversations that happened between patients. We discussed dental fear and how to help patients who are uncooperative in the chair, patients falling behind in care because of covid, and more. This is applicable to my life because if I want to work in a medical office later in life, I now understand the workflow in these spaces and what goes on on a daily basis. Shadowing hours are also a requirement for dental school, so if that is what I decide to do after graduation, then I have already started the necessary parts to apply. I also learned about how to effectively communicate with patients. A lot of being a dentist is working to alleviate anxiety, something a lot of patients have in the dentist’s office more than in other medical offices. A good dentist can calm a patient down to be able to complete all necessary procedures in a timely manner. I learned that within healthcare, I want a career that requires a lot of interaction with patients, because I enjoy talking to people, which can be seen in my journal entry. Here is my journal entry after a day of shadowing:
July 8, 2021
Between patients today, we talked about how the pandemic affected people’s treatment and that a lot of people have fallen behind in dental care. Most dentist’s offices were only closed for a month or two starting in March 2020, but many patients were scared to come in for treatment for a long time after, and many only started coming back for care once they got the covid vaccine. Playing catch up in dental care is a lot harder than maintaining the health of patients, and this has caused offices to become a lot busier and patients require longer visits than before. I also had planned on leaving the office at noon. The patient that was coming in at 11:50 ish was the cutest grandma ever. The doctor told me about her before she came in, that she was really active for her age, and she was such a nice lady. I started talking to her when she sat down in the chair, and we talked about Canasta (a card game my mom taught me how to play) and she told me about her granddaughter who was my age (and used to go to the same dance studio as me. By the time she had finished, it was 1:15 and I left after in a good mood.
Future Plans
Going into my freshman year, I was in Letters and Sciences and did not know what I wanted to major in. I knew I wanted to go into a health-related field and that the most common major for that is Biology, but I wasn’t sure that that’s what I wanted to do. I took introduction to psychology and was interested in that, and I knew that majoring in psychology would allow me to have a wide range of options post-undergrad, and I would be able to take classes that I found exciting. I don’t know for sure what I want a career in, so this leaves my options wide open until I decide. For my next three years at the University of Maryland, I plan on completing both my psychology major and pre-health courses that are required for both medical and dental school. After graduation, I will probably attend graduate school and pursue a health-related field of my choice.