Houston
The
The University of Texas School of Dentistry - Houston, Texas
UTSD HOUSTON
FILL Issue 12 November 2015
NLC Edition
Nov. 2015
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UTSD HOUSTON President | Andrew Naeger ’17 President elect | Tanya Sue Maestas ’18 Immediate Past President | Graham Reed ’16 Class Delegate | Andrew Naeger ’17 & Tanya Sue Maestas ’18 Treasurer | Courtney Cunningham ’18 Advocacy Chair | Glennis Katzmark ’17 Legislative Liason | Kyle Hale ’16, Glennis Katzmark ’17, & Samin “Huck” Huque ’18 Pre-Dental Chair | Alex Edgerly ’17 Pre-Dental Coordinator | Paola Salazar ’16, Chris Thorburn ’16, & Anthony Tran ’18 Communication & Media Chair | Michelle Boecker ’17 Publications Editors | Laura Nelson ’16 & Macey Cartrite ’16 Social Media Chair | Kaylea Orsak ’18 Website Editors | Matthew Franzen ’17 & Allison Haynie ’18 Events Chair | Mary Becker ’17 Events Coordinator | Marisa McKee ’16 Lunch and Learn Coordinator | Mariangela Arata ’18 Social Chair | Bonner Morren ’17 Community Service Chair | Clara Yoo ’17 Community Service Coordinators | Shivani Patel ’16 & Sarah Woernley ’18 Leadership Development Chair | Lauro Tijerina ’18 Gold Crown Award Chair | Andrea Sauerwein ’16 & Adrien Lewis ’16 Historian | Hieu Pham ’17 Golf Tournament Chair| Austin Green ’17 & Larson Wayman ’18
ASDA NATIONAL LEADERS Chair, Council on Communications | Laura Nelson ‘16 Chair, Council on Professional Issues | Andrew Neger ‘17
ASDA EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE President | Christian Piers, Colorado ’16 Vice-presidents | Adrien Lewis, Houston ’16, Niveditha Rajagopalan, Midwestern-Illinois ‘16 Speaker of the House | Paula Kohen, Florida, ’17 District 9 Trustee | Kyle Larsen, Colorado ’17
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TABLE OF
CONTENTS
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NLC 2015 ASDA Fever Award Winner
GENERAL SESSION 6-7 8 9
ASDA’S 2015 National leadership Conference Bankable Leadership 100 Days of Rejection
ADVOCACY & PROFESSIONAL ISSUES 10 10 11 12-13 14
Ethics in Dental School How to Effectively Communicate with Your Patients Licensure 101 Fighting Misinformation in the Media with Science An Introduction to Making Quality Chapter Videos
CAREER PLANNING 22 22 23
Your role in Organized Dentistry Get More Done with Delegation Post Grad Options: Private, Managed, Group or Corporate Practice
CHAPTER AND LEADERSHIP MANAGEMENT 24 25
Running an “Ideal” Chapter Time Managemtn Meeting and Event Planning
PREDENTAL 26 27
VIP (Very Important Predental) Predental Winner
BUSINESS & FINANCIAL LEADERSHIP 15 16 17 17 18-19 20-21
Debt Management/Student Loans Networking 101 & Building Your Personal Brand Discover the Public Speaker in You 5 Financial books to read before Turning Thirty How to Lead a Dental Team How to Not Fail Miserably in Private Practice
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National Leadership Conference October 30 - November 1, 2015 The National Leadership Conference bridges the gap between the classroom and the real world by providing leadership training to dental students across all years, and predentals.
You can download the NLC 2015 session presentations at:
http://asdanet.org/presentations/2015-nlc.aspx (asdanet.org>Events>NLC>Download Presentations)
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If you are interested in writing for the next edition of The Houst Fill, email: utsd.asda.newsletter@gmail.com Issue 12
National Leadership Conference
ASDA Fever Award Winner ASDA Fever and the NLC Experience When I found out that I won the ASDA fever award, I must admit that I was pleasantly surprised. I had remembered hearing about this award during ASDA week as a first year and didn’t really think that I could earn the most points- I mean we’re in dental school everyone is super competitive and awesome! Getting involved in ASDA throughout first year was a move that I’m so thankful I made. It provided me the opportunity to work with my colleagues, work with faculty at different events, and serve the community. Making friends along the way was the highlight of getting involved. The National Leadership Conference in Chicago was an amazing experience. It is hard to relay how important it is to be involved in organized dentistry, but conferences like NLC and annual session are prime examples of why it’s so important. You learn so much at these conferences that you don’t even realize maybe until months later. From personal development, to professional and leadership development, the speakers are phenomenal and there is so much to gain from their lectures. On the flip side, there are social events where you get to mingle with colleagues from across the country and learn about what their dental school experience is like. To me, the things I took away from NLC are just as valuable if not more, as what I learn each and every day in dental school. I am so grateful that I got the opportunity to attend NLC and I am looking forward to getting more involved with ASDA in the future! By: Katie Womack ‘18
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ASDA’s 2015 National Leadership Conference
By: Brittany Gillard ‘17 Community Service Committee Member
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he American Student Dental Association, also known as ASDA, holds their National Leadership Conference (NLC) in the fabulous city of Chicago. Chicago is a special place for this event because it is home to the American Dental Association, ASDA’s big brother, and the infamous statue of G.V. Black. This conference gives dental students resources for developing leadership as it pertains to their local ASDA chapters, the transition from school to practice, as well as in their personal lives. My experience at this conference far exceeded my expectations. The conference began with Carey Lohrenz’s talk on her experience as the U.S. Navy’s first
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female fighter pilot. Carey was a six-foot tall powerhouse. She walked on stage in an all-leather suit, exuding confidence, and immediately won us over. She went into how she fought for her position as a female fighter pilot and the trials she experienced through that fight. Early in her flight school training, she was called in for a meeting. She was informed that the U.S. legislature did not allow women to fight in combat and that, legally, she would not be able to fly as a fighter pilot. They gave her the option of either serving as a flight-school teacher or take a different position in the Navy, neither of which she wanted. She requested they give her a third option. Shortly after this discussion, Congress uplifted
the ban of women in combat and she was granted the position as a fighter pilot. This was monumental. It was her tenacity that carried her through such difficult times and brought her to the other side of what she had worked so hard for and what she wanted. She described her experience as a fighter pilot and how one must be malleable, unbreakable and clam in the face of stress and danger. Moreover, she serves as an example of the ideal leader and who consistently make the best decision for their team when under incredible stress. People tend to become exclusively self-serving when under a lot of stress, but this ultimately hurts them because it breaks the
General Session cohesiveness of a team. In the dental office, we (dentists) will undoubtedly experience stressful situations. By staying clam and keeping the team’s best interest in mind at these trying times we will better serve our patients, our staff, and ourselves. The best teams consist of people who have belief and trust in one another. Carey honed in on failure and what it does to people. She put up a slide with the responses to
a survey that asked people to agree or disagree with the statement “Failure has taught me what I’m good at.” People were placed into different groups based on how much money they made. The highest earning bracket of $10 million and up agreed the most with this statement. Her point was that the most successful people are not afraid of failure. She made it clear that in order to reach our greatest potential we need to “banish our limiting beliefs.”
Rather than saying, “I can’t do that.” We need to say, “I can’t do that yet.” This is the key to success and leadership. Carey Lohrenz imparted invaluable wisdom that has great potential of helping us thrive as dentists and leaders in our practices and communities. This was one of the many inspiring discussions I had the privilege to attend during ASDA’s 2015 NLC.
. HERE ARE SOME OF THE MAJOR POINTS I TOOK AWAY FROM MY EXPERIENCE: • Make a list of the 3 things that are most important to you on a sticky note in a thick sharpie. Make it simple and focus on these things every day. • Leaders must only give feedback that is actionable. If the person you are criticizing cannot do anything about your comments, then the comments should not be said. • Failure is not bad. It is, in fact, our best tool for growth and development. • The best motivation is love and the worst is fear. • Without the debt from dental school we would not have the earning potential that we will in the future. The investment in our education is the best investment we will ever make. • Patients don’t care what you do in their mouth unless it hurts, turns green, or falls out. Treat your patients like a human, not a tooth. • Don’t take a job that requires you to sign a restrictive covenant, excluding you from practicing in a certain area, immediately. Give it at least six months before making that commitment. I had the great honor of being sponsored at this conference by Dr. Michael Nugent, D.D.S. He is a general dentist with a wonderful practice in Pasadena, Texas. I am lucky to call him my mentor, my dentist, and my friend. His incredible generosity is a direct reflection of his care for his patients, staff, and community.
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Bankable Leadership Speaker: Dr. Tasha Eurich
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here is a formula for bankable leadership. Bankable leadership is something you want to achieve in your practice because it leads to fulfilled teams and exceptional results. The 2 spectrums are people or results oriented. Most people are one or the other but you want to be both. Think about the best boss you’ve had and they were probably a walking contradiction. They showed compassion but at the same time they expected the highest standards from everyone. Now think about your worst boss in terms of their leadership. They either were very people driven and were run over by
their employees or they were results driven and made everyone’s lives impossible. The worst part about these bosses is that around 50% of them don’t even realize they are doing something wrong. Now, it is completely possible to learn to be a bankable leader. Leadership skills are not something genetic that we are born with so invest in your leadership education because nobody else will do it for you. The tension that all leaders face is trying to maintain a good balance between people and results. Think of it as a number line
People – These bosses may seem like the “cool parent” letting you do anything and never saying no. They hold office morale above all and are really laid back. They will avoid confrontation at all costs. The downfall of this though is that it makes the employees feel like the boss doesn’t have their best interest at heart.
Results – These bosses have
the reputation of “leaving a trail of dead bodies”, they hold productivity above all and expect you to prioritize work in your life. The downfall of this type of leadership is that he/she will burnout all the employees.
To know where you stand as a leader ask your friends and family to anonymously and honestly assess you. Are you polite? Do you avoid conflict? Are you seen as a jerk? Do you tend to micro-manage? When you get your results, decide what it is that you need to work on and start making those changes one at a time. Changing your personality over night does not always happen and may discourage you completely. Ask yourself: What am I doing that’s helping me? What am I doing that is getting in the way? How can I adapt my approach? What will I practice today? What opportunities do I have? How will I measure my progress? TAKING OWNERSHIP WILL MAKE YOU THE MOST POWERFUL LEADER.
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Summary by: Lauro Tijerina ‘18 Houston ASDA, Leadership Development Chair Issue 12
General Session
100 Days of Rejection Speaker: Dr. Jia Jiang
Jiang states, “My journey has reveled that the stings and slights of rejection are universal among us as humans, but that with conscious intent we can turn rejection into enterprise, insult into ambition, and regret into courage.” The easiest way to fail is to never try. Many times people do not try to accomplish something because they are afraid of rejection. Jia Jiang embarked on a journey of 100 days of rejection to prove that rejection does not have to be as bas as most people think. Jiang told us about several of his journeys: some he was rejected and others people surprised him. A few examples of his journeys include borrowing $100 from a stranger, asking to play soccer in a stranger’s backyard and asking for Olympic symbol doughnuts. Jiang played the video of him getting the Olympic symbol doughnuts:
the video can be viewed online at https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=7Ax2CsVbrX0
accepted defeat, but instead of getting discouraged from rejection he continued his mission.
One of the points that Jiang made was to always figure out why you were rejected. One of Jiang’s rejections was to plant a flower in someone’s yard. He knocked on the door of a stranger, and Jiang was denied his request. He then proceeded to the stranger why he had said no. The man explained that he had a dog that would instantly dig it up and he did not want to waste the flower. The stranger then pointed out a neighbor who liked flowers, and Jiang was successful in planting his flower that day. Jiang could have
In summary, the main lessons that were learned from 100 days of rejection are: - Rejection is not as scary or as painful as one would believe. - People are much kinder than we ever imagined. - When you are rejected, know why you were rejected and learn from it. To learn more about Jia Jiang and his 100 days of rejection, you can go to the website http://fearbuster.com/aboutjia/ Summary by: Kaylea Orsak‘18 Houston ASDA, Social Media Chair Nov. 2015
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What Would You Do? Ethics in Dental School Speaker: Dr. Mike Meru, DDS MS Executive Director of SPEA
The formal definition of ethics is moral principles that govern a person’s or group’s behavior. According to Albert Schweitzer, ethics means that it is good to maintain and further life it is bad to damage and destroy life. Dr. Meru went on to describe the three types of ethics violations: commission, omission, and sheer ignorance. In commission, the violator is completely aware of what they are doing. Example: Failing to sterilize instruments in the manner required. In omission the violator is less intentional although still negligent. Example: An older dentist continuing to practice despite the loss of physical ability to perform optimal care. Sheer ignorance describes a violator who lacks the knowledge required to perform a task. Example: Performing a procedure in which you do not have the appropriate expertise and clinical experience for. The best way to discuss ethical dilemmas that will come up in your future practice is to find a strong mentor and to surround yourself with mentors with similar values to you. In addition, the ADA offers an Ethics Hotline - 800.621.8099 - which is a service available to members of the ADA. The Ethics Hotline is not a legal resource but rather a service for helping to resolve ethical dilemmas much like an ethics consult service.
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Summary by: Andrew Nager ‘17 Houston ASDA, Presidnet
How to
Effectlively Communicate with Your Patients Speaker: Adrien Lewis 2015-2016 Vice Presidnet
At this breakout session, our very own Adrien Lewis delivered this speech. She covered many important points about how not only your verbal communication but also your nonverbal comes across to your patients. Here are some chair side pointers she mentioned: •When speaking to your patients take you mask and loupes off that way they can see your face and feel more comfortable with your non-verbal communication. •If you are going to be discussing treatment planning, go ahead and sit them up so they feel comfortable and you can see that they are focusing on the important information you are giving them. •Sit slightly below eye level so it doesn’t appear you are talking down on the patient. •When taking the medical history don’t just stare at the computer. Remember you are speaking with a person. They should see you care about their medical history and not just about your requirements. •When possible use visual aids to help the patient understand what procedures will be done on them. This can be a typodont and toothbrush or software showing an implant procedure. The main key element of all these points is to show respect to your patients and treat them, as you would want to be treated. Summary by: Sarah Woernley ‘18 Houston ASDA, Community Service Chair
Advocacy & Professional issues
Licensure 101 Speaker: Christain Piers 2015-2016 Persident
It is no surprise that the current licensure policies are under revision. A single snapshot in time of one procedure, performed under a highly stressful situation is in no way indicative of a competent dental student. During the ‘Licensure 101’ seminar, we discussed the many areas of improvement and the steps the American Student Dental Association is taking to get us there. Currently, there are five licensure examination committees: CITA, CRTDS, SRTA, WREB, and CDCA*- none of which cover the country in its entirety. Not only does this mean dentists will have to re-take an exam if they move to a region not covered by their current license, but it also leaves room for multiple discrepancies across graders and criteria. Additionally, the exam is a narrow assessment of the skill set required by a general dentist. A dental student spends four years honing their skills into a variety of facets, only to be licensed upon a narrow set selected by an examination board. Last, and most importantly, the current licensure policy is incompatible with the dental code of ethics. Dental work performed under a high stress environment typically does not embody the standard of care deemed appropriate in our profession. And for those students who do not pass, their patients are now left with clinically failing restorations. How does this reflect the beneficence pillar we were all taught? In response to these questions, various states around the U.S and Canada began taking measures to improve the current licensure policies. These included a hybrid portfolio, PGY-1 (Postgraduate Year), and OSCE (Objective Structured Clinical Examination). The idea behind the hybrid portfolio was to include a longitudinal examination of the student’s work. These would be performed with patients of record and still embody the clinical aspect as seen in current exams. However, third-party examiners are expensive and faulty proctors leave room for bias. The PGY-1 allows students to perform an additional year of dentistry to further prove their knowledge and skill in the field. This eliminates the ethical issues of a live patient exam. Unfortunate-
ly, most states do not honor this policy and many students do not wish to wait an extra year before beginning practice. The OSCE offered by Canadian dental programs eliminates live patients completely. Instead, students are presented with cases where they are required to review the information (radiographs, dental charts, casts, etc.) and make an appropriate diagnosis. This method has proven to be both valid and reliable as well as objective and reproducible. However, this exam does not account for the hand skills required of a dental professional. In response to the current licensure debate, ASDA has adopted a new interim L-1 policy in an attempt to reform the current criteria. The association believes that an ideal licensure exam should be universally accepted, psychometrically valid and reliable, reflective of the scope of current dental practice and would not use human subjects in a clinical testing scenario. Additionally, licensure should be obtained through the demonstration of both kinesthetic and clinical decision making skills. This can be performed via manikin-based kinesthetic assessments, a non-patient based OSCE, and the submission of a comprehensive patient care portfolio. The House of Delegates will vote to approve this policy at ASDA’s Annual Session in Dallas on March 2-5, 2016. *Council on Interstate Testing Agencies (CITA), Central Regional Dental Testing Services (CRDTS), Southern Regional Testing Agency (SRTA), Western Regional Examining Board (WREB) and the Commission of Dental Competency Exams (CDCA) Source: Asdanet.org
Summary by: Courtney Cunningham ‘18 Houston ASDA, Treasurer
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Fighting Misinformation in the Media with
SCIENCE Speaker: Gregory Sabino, PhD - 2015-2016 editor-in-chief
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ow many spiders does the average human eat while sleeping during their lifetime? Did you think to yourself 6 or 7? This popularized “study” was actually created to show how misinformation spreads. The PC magazine that is cited didn’t exist back then, nor the author. Misinformation is like toothpaste, once it gets out, it gets everywhere… and its nearly impossible to put it back in. The internet and news media propagate misinformation and fear regarding dental procedures and materials. All too often our patients fall victim to these false reports. It is our responsibility to protect our patients and our future profession. In this session, Dr. Sabino helped us to identify and dispel these dental myths in five steps.
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1) Identify the problem
Listen and get them talking. When your patient brings up concerns like these, the worst thing you can do is face-palm (as the presenter did the first time) because you will immediately break down the trust of your patient. Dr. Sabino actually spent 40 minutes of one patient visit just listening to the patient express their concerns about base metals in crowns. They are used to having the dentist say, “I’m the dentist, I know better.” When the patient saw that he wasn’t trying to push his opinion, the patient actually softened up and asked, “What do you think about it?”
3) Identify the source
Where is the article published? There can be a reference run-around where one author from Bloomberg says something and everybody is now citing it. When patients read about something like “the dangers of amalgam” online they will come across forums and comments on articles where there are 40 to 60 comments of people, all just reinforcing each other. Even if it’s published in a journal you have to look at the journal quality because not all are equal. They have different standards of review. When was the article published? Fear of root canals comes from an article originating in 1911.
2) Recognize the concern
The patients that come to you with these concerns are actually the ideal patients because they want the best result and are just reporting what they know; they are willing to learn.
Advocacy & Professional issues Charlatans and Fear Mongers There are many sites that use fear in order to profit:
and no animal studies have been carried out. The anti-fluoride authors also ignore addressing a more recent and extensive New Zealand study that disproves the connection between fluoride and lower IQ.
4) Educate
The papers just report the data like they are supposed to and then other (unqualified) people (like in Bloomberg) make claims. The data does not lie so you want to discover with the patient if the articles they are bringing are accounting for other variables, or have leaps of faith. This site is advertising a “fluoride-free” toothpaste for almost double the price of what you can get Colgate for at Wal-Mart. It is sad when even dentists are using these fears to make money with ads on their website such as, “Get rid of your cancer causing root canal and put in an implant.” Incomplete references Articles citing the dangers of fluoride include part of an article: “Several human studies found an increase in birth defects or lower IQ scores in children living in areas with very high levels of fluoride in the drinking water.” … and then ignore the very next paragraph: “Those studies did not adequately access other factors that could have contributed to the effects. Another study did not find birth defects in children living in areas with low levels of fluoride. Birth defects have not been found in most studies of laboratory animals.” The part that they didn’t include basically says the results do not matter
Transitive property You can not jump from a petri dish (in-vitro studies) to a human. One of his patients actually once said, “Wow, that is a pretty big leap of faith.” In the fluoride-IQ articles you need to check if they are they accounting for differences in education, pre-natal care, etc. because IQ is complex. Sample size is important. Bigger is better. The minimum sample size needed in order to claim a difference is the G*Power. For the fluoride studies this is N = 134, but only 12 of the 27 IQ studies have over 130 samples. Of these 27 IQ studies, 20 were less than 3 pages. Wait… hold up! The papers we have to read for school usually have 3 pages dedicated just for references!
never published in a peer reviewed journal. Recall bias In a study claiming that dental radiographs cause meningioma, patients with meningioma were asked to recall the number of BWs, FMS, or Panos they had when they were younger than 10, 10 to 19, 20 to 49, and greater than 50 years of age. The data showed that one bitewing gives a greater risk for meningioma than a full mouth series… this is physically impossible (an FMS contains 4 BWs). Then its also good to explain to the patient that just waking up in the morning gives you 720 thousand person-Sieverts everyday, while a dental radiograph gives 2.5 thousand person-Sieverts.
5) Respect autonomy
The goal is not to convince your patient in the same visit to allow you to put fluoride on their teeth. Respect the patient’s autonomy. Make it clear, “I am doing this because you want it, not because this is scientifically accurate and based on the best evidence.” But you are planting the seed and they may change their views gradually.
You can ask your patient, “Is there anything you’ve been reading or seeing lately,” to give them that opportunity for discussion. If they bring up these things you can say, “These studies seem to be lacking, if you want the A patient expressed concern about flip side let me know.” a research study claiming triclosan causes liver toxicity. So he explained, And the best thing is when your pa“Look at the size difference between tient starts bringing you things from a mouse and a human. If you give the news themselves and asking what a mouse 1,000 times the amount your opinion is about it! they’re supposed to, wouldn’t you exSummary by: Samin Huque ‘18 pect liver toxicity?” The connection between triclosan and cancer is from Houston ASDA, Legislative Liaison a randomized controlled trial that was Nov. 2015
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Lights, Camera, Audio: An introduction to Making Quality Chapter Videos Speaker: Kyle Larson ‘17 2015-2016 District 9 Trustee
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ideo is a powerful communication tool in our generation. It is attention grabbing, it looks professional, and it is almost an expectation in our world today. In Kyle’s presentation, he shared that it is all about technique and not necessarily about the equipment that you use. He presented on various techniques to make your video look more professional. The three basic elements of video production are the lighting, the camera, and the audio.
a dramatic effect. Backlighting is to be avoided, and it is a common pitfall of amateur video makers and photographers. You always want the light to be coming from behind you, the videographer. Backlighting will cast your subject into darkness and would only be appropriate in a witness protection-type interview where you would also be disguising the voice of the subject. Examples of each of these types of lighting can be seen in Kyle’s powerpoint the link is at the end.
Lighting sets the mood that you want for your story. There are three types of lighting setups: 3-point, harsh and backlighting. 3-point is usually the most desirable type of lighting setup. It utilizes a key, fill, and a background light. The key light is the main light you use to illuminate your subject and is set in front of your subject. The fill light is also used in front of your subject and is used at an angle to the key light which takes away any harsh shadows the key light casts on the subject’s face. Background light is used behind the subject and is useful for separating the subject from the background. This setup creates a clean and professional looking video. Harsh light is not generally used, but it can be used in certain situations which require
The second component of a good video is camera, and by camera, he is talking about composition and cinematography. There are many types of good composition. One classic composition technique that photographers use is the rule of thirds. To apply this, you would divide your scene into thirds - both horizontally and vertically - and then place your subject along one of those lines. Typically the center of the frame is the most “dead” area of the screen, and you get much more interesting shots placing elements along those “rule of 3rd” lines. There is a spectrum of frames you can use when lining up a shot: extreme wide shots, wide shots, medium shots, medium close ups, close ups and extreme closeups. Varying between these types of frames will
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create more interest in your video. An essential part of good and efficient video making is the storyboard. Storyboarding is planning out your key shots before an event so you have a target in mind. Doing this before a project will save you hours in post-production time. The most critical piece of advice Kyle emphasizes is NEVER create a video more than 2 minutes, and never use a single clip longer than 10 seconds. Use of cutaways to B-roll (extra footage) during dialogue is critical to smooth transitions and keeping your audience interested. Finally, the third component to goo video is the audio: it is impossible to create a good video with choppy or unclear audio. Use of a microphone in every situation is critical. Even when using a mic, you should edit your audio in post-production to cut out the background noise. Audacity is a free downloadable tool for doing so.
Key points for Kyle’s talk:
•good lighting is essential •never create a video longer than 2 minutes •use storyboarding to save yourself time •always use a microphone Summary by: Allison Haynie ‘18 Houston ASDA, Website Editor
Business & Financial Leadership
Student Loans & Debt Management Speakers: Elena Sakopoulos & Steven Swan
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hile at NLC I attended two breakout sessions focused on student debt. Student loans are a trillion dollar industry. As far as numbers are concerned, they are only second to mortgages. As dental students, we must be diligent about understanding our finances and how to be as fiscally responsible as possible during school and upon graduation. Some tips they offered were the following: • Consolidate your loans. This can make it easier to coordinate payments. When you consolidate, you can negotiate a lower interest rate and and this will save you a very significant amount of money in the long run. • Don’t wait until the end of the grace period to consider consolidation. Do so as early as possible while interest rates are low. • Ask for rate reductions if you make a certain amount of payments in a timely manner. What is the worst that can happen? They say no and you continue on the same trajectory. • Consider the options offered to you. One such option has recently been set up by the ADA which can save you lots of money in the long run if you refinance your loans through the banks they have partnered with! Summary by: Mary Becker ‘17 Houston ASDA, Events Chair
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Networking 101
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Speaker: Dr. Yige Zhao ‘15, 2014-2015 District 11 Trustee
etworking can be an important tool for meeting new people, finding jobs, or finding a mentor. Networking can be accomplished when in casual conversation or even during an interview. There are key things to remember when interacting with others so that you present yourself as intelligent, easygoing, and professional. The first step to networking is to prepare. Create business cards and find a comfortable outfit for your event. Also, know your goals for what you want to accomplish and develop a personal brand. When entering an event, find someone you don’t know and strike up a conversation. Prepare casual talking points that you can use when the conversation starts to dwindle. Some examples of questions to ask include: “What’s your story?”, “What was the highlight of your week?”, and “What is your personal passion?”. Second, always remember your body language. Lean into the person you are speaking with and smile while maintaining eye contact. These simple gestures will tell the other person you are engaged and truly listening to what they are saying. Don’t cross you arms or look away too frequently. Negative body language will hinder your ability to network successfully. Finally, make a graceful exit. Thank them for the discussion and hand the person your business card. You could also introduce them to another event attendee. Follow up with an email or handwritten thank you note. You never know when a person might be able to help you with a business recommendation, job offer, or help you to develop further networking connections. Summary by: Laura Nelson ‘16 - Houston ASDA, Publications Editor
Building Your Personal Brand Speaker: Dr. Ryan Dulde ‘11, 2010-2011 Speaker of the House
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hen we get into private practice there are many different entities that separate us from other practices. One of these entities is your personal brand. Your brand is more than just your logo or name of your practice; it is how your patients and community perceive you. Your brand gives you an identity with a personal touch, rather than just another place that people can go get their teeth fixed. In order to build a brand that is authentic, it is important to identify what is important to you and build from there. Do you want a practice that is known for excellent customer service? Having the latest technology? Accepting of all dental insurance? Cheap dental work? Quick appointments? Once you decide how you want to be known, you need to build that brand within your practice starting with your staff. Make sure everyone is on the same page and your workplace culture within your office is consistent. Once this is established, there are a variety of ways to market your brand. Advertising and community involvement are good ways to start. The ultimate goal is to create your brand that is well known throughout the community and consistent with the way you intend to practice dentistry. Summary by: Bonner Morren ‘17 - Houston ASDA, Social Chair
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Business & Financial Leadership
Discover the Public Speaker in You
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Speaker: Dr. Gabriel Holdwick ‘14, 2013-2014 Speaker of the House
as the thought of public speaking ever been a fear of yours? Do you cringe at the thought of speaking in front of an audience? Well there’s good news, you’re not alone and there’s things you can do to overcome this common fear. You can succeed at public speaking. At the recent ASDA National Leadership Conference in Chicago, there was a very helpful presentation that sent a strong message to those who have a fear of public speaking. The presenter stated, “The best way to combat your anxiety is to come prepared. By failing to prepare you are preparing to fail.” This statement hit home with me because often times I find myself nervous and fearful of how my message will come out when I give a presentation. The truth is, like everything, you can minimize your anxieties and optimize your results by relentless practice. You should practice until you are literally sick of practicing your speech because you know it so well. You should know exactly where you will pause in your speech for effect and what syllables you will emphasize in particular words to get your points across. You should know that, contrary to your belief, your words aren’t the most important part of your presentation. What
are important are the beginning, the end, and how you conduct yourself throughout your speech. You want the audience to leave remembering that they enjoyed and were engaged during your presentation. The simple fact is that they won’t remember your exact words, but they will remember key phrases, your poise, and your effectiveness at keeping their attention. You may ask, “Is humor okay in a speech?” The answer is yes, humor is always okay, but there is an appropriate amount depending on your audience. Know your audience.
At NLC, the presenter stated that, “Most good speeches start with good writing.” So write a rough draft of your speech, then right another draft, and then another. Lastly, remember that the audience will only know what you said, not what you were suppose to say. So speak with confidence, know your audience, and know your message. Here are some important things to consider when preparing your speech: What is the speech for? How long do you have to give the speech? Where will the speech be presented? Would this be interesting to me?
Something that is often overlooked, but can make or break your presentation, is your composure. Think about A speech has 3 basic parts: your hand placement, your stance, -The beginning/ “The Hook” and your movement while you’re pre- -Body senting. Your movements can either Your points (which are supported) be tools that enhance your speech or -Conclussion/ “Anchor” obstructions that take away form your What matters during your speech: speech. Know that it is normal to feel -Humor nervous. A consequence of being -Confidence nervous is that people have a tenden-Poise (be graceful) cy to speak too fast and jump around -Body Language with their thoughts. Therefore, come -Hands prepared and speak slowly and clearly. -Eye contact with audience This is, again, where practice corrects -Posture these common mistakes and catapults Summary by: Daniel Cortez ‘18 your presentation over the top. Houston ASDA, Leadership Committee Member
5 Financial Books to read Before Turning 30
(or 6)
Speaker: Dr. Adam Shisler ‘12, 2011-2012 President
1. The Millionaire Next Door By: Thomas J Stanley, PhD ; William D. Danko, PhD 2. The Investment Answer By: Daniel C Goldie CPA, CFP ; Gordon S Murray 3. I Will Teach You to be Rich By: Ramit Seth 4. Get Rich Slowly: Personal finance that makes cents (Blog) By: J. D. Roth http://www.getrichslowly.org/blog/ 5. Financial Samurai: Slicing through money’s mysteries (Blog) By: Sam Dogen http://www.financialsamurai.com 6. The Simple Dollar (Blog) By: Trent Hamm http://www.thesimpledollar.com/onepage/ Summary by: Bonner Morren ‘17 - Houston ASDA, Social Chair Nov. 2015
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How to Lead a
Dental Team Speaker: Dr. Becky Warnken ‘13 - 2012-2013, District 7 Trustee
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n this session, we learned the do’s and don’ts of how to build and lead a dental team. We learned the difference between being a “boss” and a “leader” and exactly why you want to fall into the latter category when you are sculpting your ideal dental team. A picture tells a thousand words. This cartoon depicts the polar positions of a boss vs a leader. A leader inspires others to do more and to become
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more. They understand the “why” behind every “what.” An example of this is knowing what brings your employees into work everyday. Are they there for the paycheck, or are they there for the patient? Knowing the motivation behind the employee’s reason of being there will guide you on how to lead your team effectively. So, what can you do to make your job leading easier? One key to effective leadership comes
in building a cohesive team. Teams that fit together are more efficient. You need a team with personalities that will mesh well together in a working environment. You can’t have all type A personalities or everyone would elevate the stress levels. You need a good mix of workers that will take initiative and ones that will follow instructions well. Each individual on your dental team begins with an interview.
Business & Financial Leadership
When each and every person on your team plays a valuable role in the productivity of the day, you must attest that they can work well with your established team. This is where the concept of a “working interview” becomes invaluable. A prospective hire can be allowed the opportunity of a trial period after which you are able to determine if they will be a permanent team member. Once your team is put together, get to know them beyond the office. Take them all out to lunch, or host holiday parties where they can invite their families. This is your chance to understand their values and their motivations in life. Get to know their personalities and characteristics. Invest this time into your team. It will pay dividends later when by knowing their habits, you can notice problems just by being observant of
changes in their behavior. Finally, you have an A-squad team. Now, everyone must know their roles and responsibilities. These responsibilities will hold each team member accountable for the office’s productivity. From there, you can begin to set goals and expectations. Your goals should be measurable to allow progress reports whether it be monthly, quarterly or annually. Some goals that are measurable include production levels or patient growth. Don’t set your goals too low where they are easily attainable, but also remember to reward your team when lofty goals are attained. As the leader of the team, it may come as an expectation for you to always have the answer to problems that may arise. Instead of being the answer, promote “response-iveness.”
Tell your team to come up with at least one viable solution to a problem before they approach you. Remember to hold your team accountable and discipline when necessary if expectations are not met. Being the “nice” leader can be as detrimental to your practice as being the “tyrant.” We encourage team growth by making small daily improvements. In fact, small improvements are the key to staggering long-term results. This is where daily huddles will play a large role. Morning meetings provide a time period where potential problems can be discussed before the day begins. Remember, being more prepared will almost always result in a better response. All you need is 20 minutes before seeing the first patient of the day in order to avoid unnecessary complications throughout the day.
In summary, there are five takeaway points towards being a dental team leader: 1. Set goals. Share them with your team and reward progress. 2. Have regular team meetings. This will keep your day organized and potential problems are screened beforehand. 3. Hold team events. Get to know your team and express gratitude outside of the office. 4. Set clear expectations and responsibilities. The last thing you need is to be micromanaging. 5. Hold people accountable. Remember that accountability breeds responsibility. Summary by: Tiffany Pham ‘18 Houston ASDA, Predental Committee Member
Nov. 2015
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How to Not Fail Miserably in Private Practice Speaker: Dr. Chris Salierno ‘05 - 2004-2005 Presidnet
“It’s a wonderful time to be a dentist!” – says everyone but your local dentist. This is often a quote that circulates around when one discusses the current dental profession. However, what many have not realized yet, is that the once blossoming field of dentistry has become increasingly weighed down by rising student debt and increasing graduates in a field where fewer dentists are retiring than expected. This has created a complex market in which it is easy to start and fail in private practice. This session will discuss the five factors that allow a practice to thrive instead.
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The first factor is known as “the pulse.” This is basically your ability to inquire the
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health of the practice by directly monitoring the the current patient base and the office’s accounts. Does the practice see patients or is there a lull in the schedule? A rule-of-thumb is that a healthy practice will be booked out at least two weeks while leaving room for emergency appointments. The pulse also takes into consideration the production/ collections ratio. Is your office collecting money on services preformed? That is a major indicator of the health of the practice. You should also regularly check the “profit/loss statement” to see if the office is making money on services preformed. If the office is lacking in any of those categories, then we must then ask why and what can we do to solve the problem. Regularly checking can be daily, monthly quarterly or annually, but it must be done consistently. Knowing the pulse of the prac-
tice, especially as an associate, will help you determine if this practice is appropriate to one day own.
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The second factor is “the overhead monster.” If your profit/loss statement is in the negatives, this is where you are able to modify numbers until your services are profitable again. This entails lowering overhead or raising service fees. A rule-ofthumb for overhead distribution is as follows: staff 25%, supplies 5%, lab 10%, rent 5% and you and miscellaneous expenses make up th e rest at 55%. An owner’s goal is to pocket at least 40% of their fee income. Knowing these relative spreads will allow you to keep your expenses within a reasonable range. If a lab’s fee shoots much higher than 10% of your fee income, then it is time to shop around for a different lab. These percentages
Business & Financial Leadership
are easily determined by reviewing the practice’s “Income Statement” which provides a breakdown of all income and expenses. Ideally, you will be able to conclude the total expense of each individual procedure and this will allow you to set your service fees. The goal is to have the total procedure cost to be <20% of your fee to remain profitable.
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The third factor is “the patient experience.” Nothing kills a practice faster than having no patient flow. The patient’s experience in your dental chair will be a major deciding factor of whether or not they will return or if they will bring in patients on recommendation. Patients tend to believe that dentists only want to force their services on them for a profit. When treatment planning with a patient, you need to keep in mind that the average patient does not care what happens in their mouth unless it hurts, turns an odd color, or falls out. Basically, there are three things that every patient demands from the dentist: pain-free, functionality and beauty. That triangle of patient needs is easily attained when the dentist treats every patient that sits in their chair as if they were a celebrity. Once the expectations are set for every patient, it is up to you to keep standards high. We control the quality of the patient experience.
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The fourth factor in a successful practice is “the dream team.” The interview is the initial encounter between the dentist and their prospective team member. You are a part of this dream team, so there could be a time when you are the interviewee. This is the time for everyone to get to know exactly who they will be working with, so be ready to ask and answer questions. As an associate, there are also many ways that your pay can be structured in the contract. Pay attention to the wording, if they pay based on percentages of “collections” vs “production” and if they have a base salary with bonus. You can also be responsible for a portion of your lab bill and as an associate you may be confined to a restrictive non-compete clause where you cannot set up a practice within so many miles for so many years from your current practice. When conducting an associateship at a new practice, it is recommended to have an agreement to work in a trial period of 6 months with no contract. Definitely no restrictive clause if there must be a contract during the trial period. Also, even though you may not be the owner, as a dentist you are still the leader in the office. As leadership goes, avoid becoming the Gordon Ramsay of your kitchen. Instead, reward your staff ’s successes and do not rely on criticism to get results.
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on location. You can’t grow your practice in a city with two dentists every mile from each other. Know the dentist/population ratio before setting your location pin down. Less obviously, growth also relies on the community’s perception of your office. Patients like dentists that are active in their community. Have a social media impact. Let them know that you are human behind your loupes and mask. One of the best ways to have a great network in the community is to provide a discount for all food and beverage industry workers. They have access to a massive portion of the community and it’s great to have them sell your practice for you. It would also help to have a good relationship with your specialists, they are able to refer patients to you as well. These five factors will help tremendously to keep you from failing miserably in private practice. Dr. Salierno condensed a full-day’s seminar into a one-hour presentation for us, so we could not get everything he wanted to share with us at the time. We’re in luck because Dr. Salierno runs an active blog catered to the dental community. For more dental management secrets, follow Dr. Salierno’s blog “The Curious Dentist.”
Finally, the fifth factor in avoiding failure, is the ability to foresee “growth.” Obviously this factor depends primarily
Summary by: Tiffany Pham ‘18 Houston ASDA, Predental Commitee Member Nov. 2015
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Your Role in Organized Dentistry Speaker: Niveditha Rajagopalan ‘16 - 2015-2016 VP Niv began by talking about ASDA’s 3-year strategic plan, which is on its way to being achieved in 2017. There are four main components to this plan and they are: • Career Resource Center • Integrate ASDA Lobby day with ADA Washington Leadership Conference • Double pre-dental membership • State dental associations have a budget to fund in-state ASDA chapters. These are amazing goals and will benefit dental students immensely. As ASDA members we already have incredible resources at our fingertips, but imagine a career resource center that would have all things related to starting our career in one organized place- I know I would utilize that tool as much as possible! It is exciting to see that on a national level ASDA is working to improve things for every dental student in the country. Next, the topic of licensure was presented. Niv had a quote in her presentation from a late JADA editor that really stood out to me and it was, “should student incompetence be tested on human subjects?” This is a powerful statement and one that cannot be ignored. She discussed the three requirements that are now in place to gain licensure- taking CODA accredited National Board of Dental Examiners part one and two, and taking a clinical licensure exam. The controversy surrounding the clinical licensure exam is obvious- there are ethical issues involved as well as reliability and validity discrepancies. The ADA and ADEA both sponsored a licensure task force to work on this issue. It is an issue that has been in question for several years and ASDA is continually working towards reform on this subject. In order to have reform though, we have to hit all levels. From the ADA to the TDA to our local GHDS and ASDA chapters, everyone standing up and making a statement provides the state board a powerful argument that they must consider. Do you want to be involved? ASDA’s leadership has a national component, a district component, and a local chapter component. On the national level there are elected positions for the executive committee, which consists of a president and two vice presidents. There is also a speaker of the house (Niv’s former position before becoming VP). At the district level, there are 11 district trustees who are elected and cabinet members who are appointed. There are many positions where you can find your niche and serve as an ASDA leader, all you have to do is say yes!
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Summary by: Katie Womack ‘18
Issue 12 Houston ASDA, Predental Committee Member
Get More Done with Delegation
Speaker: Nancy Honeycutt, CAE - Executive Director “I’m not a control freak, BUT can I show you the right way to do that?” Once our journey through dental school comes to an end we’ll inevitably find ourselves in unfamiliar territory…. leadership. Your dental team will look up to you to guide them to success, to effectively treat patients, and to problem solve. However, success of a team requires all members to contribute and take responsibility for their duties. “You can do anything, but not everything”, David Allen. When you delegate, you empower someone else to act for you. The act of delegation, then, involves conferring some of your functions or powers on another, so he or she can act on your behalf. Why delegate? • Increase productivity and efficiency • Improved time management • Increased trust • Skill development • Staff empowerment • Sense of achievement How to Successfully Delegate? • Delegate to develop/ meet a goal • Delegate to that persons strengths • Clear Direction and Communication • Support and Monitor (ID the resources available to help them, give them tools that will lead them to success) • Drive accountability (your team is counting on you and I am confident in you) Remember! It’s not about taking something off your plate and dumping it on to someone else’s. Delegation involves critical thinking and strategy. What’s holding you back? • Fear of losing control • It takes too much time • Nobody can do it as good as you (you have to give them the chance, they may not do things just like you, but it’s the results that matter.) “Sometimes you have you have to let a person make a mistake to learn from it” - Nancy Honeycutt Once you all have a dental team of your own, commit to developing your team members by delegating some of your current responsibilities to them to effectively treat patients, and to not only build your success, but their success as well. Summary by: Anthony Tran‘18 Houston ASDA, Pre Dental Coordinator
Career Planning
Post-Grad Options:
Private, Managed, Group or Coporate Practice Speaker: Dr. Chris Salierno â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;05 - 2004-2005 Presidnet
Dental students often wonder what kind of practice they will join upon graduation. One thing is certain - regardless of what kind of practice you chose, you need a set vision of your career end goal. Success without a vision is hard to accomplish. Tough decisions lay ahead.
6 models of post-graduation options were presented: 1) DSO/ Corporate 2) Associateship with no buy-in opportunity 3) Associateship with buy-in opportunity 4) Associateship with buy-out opportunity 5) Purchase of practice with little or no transition 6) Start up The first option deals with corporate companies such as Aspen Dental, Pacific Dental, etc. Secondly, the associateship with no buy-in is a private practice in which you will be a practicing dentist but you will never own part of the practice. As a side note, the speakers mentioned that it is highly recommended that you hire a lawyer and he goes over the contract with you before you sign it, as some contracts limit the areas where you are able to work if you were to break away from the practice in the future. The third option is an associateship with a buy-in opportunity. This means that you will be working with the owner of the practice for a certain amount of time, and after this, you will have the opportunity to own part of the practice. You can include the date of the buy-in in the initial contract or you can have a contract that allows you to re-enegociate. You also have the right of first refusal. This means that if the owner decides to sell the practice, you have the first option to buy it or refuse to buy it before the owner sells it to someone else. In addition, the speakers recommended that you either hire your own lawyer to avoid any conflicts of interest or you hire a neutral lawyer who will act as the middle man between you and the owner of the practice. Furthermore, the fourth option is similar to the third option except that in the contract, you specify an opportunity to be able to buy out of the practice. In regards to the fifth option, the owner of the practice will generally leave within 1-6 months and you will transition into his or her role once they leave. To be successful with this career path, you need to know how many active patients are in the practice and what the production looks like in the last couple of years. It is important to analyze whether the financial trends seem to go upward or downward. You also need to spend some time in the practice to see how the previous dentist practices and whether or not you will have to change something in the way you practice to cater to those patients. In other words, you must evaluate the practice as a whole in order to have a great transition. It is crucial that you get to know the office staff, so that it is easier to interact with them at the office and work as a team to provide the best patient satisfaction. Finally, the sixth option is a start up. As a dental school graduate, you can obtain a loan from a bank and start a practice from the ground up. You need to find the right people to help you! This option allows you to set your own rules from what lab technician you want to use to how you want to design your office. Summary by: Mariangela Arata â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;18 Houston ASDA, Lunch and Learn Coordinator
Nov. 2015
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Runnning an “Ideal” Chapter
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very year each ASDA chapter has an opportunity to apply for the prestigious Gold Crown Awards. These awards are an opportunity for chapters to be recognized for the hard work and amazing events they put together throughout the year. Last year, we were recognized with the “Outstanding Predental Involvement” award as a recognition for all our Predental committee completed. While we don’t focus our energy in completing events to win these awards, we do like to have the opportunity to be recognized for our efforts throughout the year and continue to strive towards becoming “ideal”. Going into this session, I knew I would have the opportunity to see examples of what many chapters are doing and what we can do at Houston ASDA to continue striving towards success. Additionally, I knew I would learn how to further tailor our Gold Crown application as to increase our chances in winning more awards. Gold Crown Awards are divided into 2 different broad categories: Chapter Achievements and Media. Under the Chapter Achievement category, there are opportunities to win an array of awards including the coveted Ideal ASDA Chapter award, Outstanding Activities, and Outstanding Advocacy Initiatives just to name a few. Under Media the awards include Best Newsletter in Competition, Newsletter Design & Layout, and Best Website in Competition also just to name a few. So we can see that there are many opportunities for our chapter and other chapters throughout the nation to be recognized for their accomplishments. Throughout the session, we were given examples of different events and activities that different ASDA chapters have completed that have been recognized. I was excited to see when Houston ASDA was acknowledged as last years Outstanding Predental as well as being highlighted for the strides we are making towards promoting our branding as a chapter. It was also wonderful to see other chapters within our district be recognized for all they are doing at their chapters. Overall, I was very pleased to see the different successes that various chapters have and all they are doing for their members and for organized dentistry.
While we continue to strive on becoming an Ideal ASDA Chapter, it is true to say that we would not accomplish all we do if it weren’t for the hard work of our ASDA officers and committee members as well as the participation of our wonderful members. Any recognition that we do receive is a culmination of everyone working together. I am continually excited to see what Houston ASDA will accomplish next and I am eager to continually work towards being the best chapter that we can be. The deadline to submit for Gold Crown Awards is Jan 8th. We are working hard to ensure that our application is ready and meets the standards/requirements that are requested. So now one question remains…. Who will win the Gold Crown Awards this year? Summary by: Tanya Sue Maestas ‘18 24 Houston ASDA, Presidnet Elect Issue 12
Chapter Leadership and Management
Time Management Meeting and Event Planning
Speaker: Dr. Yige Zhao ‘15 - 2014-2015 District 11 Trustee
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ental School. ASDA. Church. Family. Friends. Extracurriculars. These are a few of the things that play a big role in my life and the lives of many different dental students around the nation. With the work load we are given at school, it can be difficult to find open opportunities to remember to do things that we enjoy. This session was tailored to help students like myself find a way to better manage one’s time as well as some tips on event planning. During the session Time Management was defined as The ability to prioritize, organize, and control how you spend 24 hours in your day, to further your overall purpose. 168 hours a week. 24 hours a day. These hours can seem few for us to accomplish all we need to in a weeks time. All in all we are in control of how we use the hours in a day. It is important to be responsible to ensure that we reach our full potential and our personal purpose. It was also emphasized to learn to say no! It is a hard feat, but it is often very essential to do. The last few minutes of the session were spent on identifying key areas that need to be addressed when one is planning an event. Dr. Zhao emphasized that there are 5 W’s that should be met when beginning even planning: Why, When, What, Where, and Who. Why: Identify the purpose. What do you want to get out of this event? Who: Who will be organizing the event? Will there be sponsors? Will you be inviting guest speakers? Who is your targeted audience? When: When will you be hosting your event? What: What will the event name be? Will you be providing food or beverages? Will there be a entry fee? What will your budget be? Where: Where will your event be held? Will there be parking? What will your budget be for your venue? Be sure to Delegate and Communicate! Use social media to your advantage! There are great apps that you can use like Asana and Trello to help communicate with your team! After the event: Be sure to send out thank you cards to anyone who played a crucial role in your event. Evaluate the event with your team. Get feedback from participants. Leave instructions for the next person to keep continuity between events. Overall this breakout session was great! So much great advice was given as to how one should manage one’s time and the key steps to remember when planning an event. Summary by: Tanya Sue Maestas ‘18 Houston ASDA, Presidnet Elect
Here is some of the advice that Dr. Zhao provided during her session: Purpose - Find a clear direction that will relieve you of activities that are not essential Prioritize - Do the hardest task first Keep a To-Do List - Prioritize your tasks by importance Set a deadline - Meet your deadlines!! Delegate - If something can be done 80% as well by someone else, delegate Get organized! - Studies show that if you get organized, you feel more in control, which in turn leads you to being more productive Two Minute Rule - If it can be done in less than 2 minutes, do it right away! Multitasking - This is a huge one for dental students - DON’T DO IT Small things that make a big impact - Empty your inbox - When you are studying, if something comes to mind write it down (don’t get distracted) - Be punctual - AVOID social media - Make sacrifices Become a morning person - Wake up early and get some To-Dos out of the way
Your health is important. Be sure to eat, sleep, and exercise! 25 Nov. 2015
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VIP
(Very Important Predental) Workshop Speakers: Alex Edgerly ‘17, 2015-2016 District 9 Predental Advisor Kyle Larsen ‘17, 2015-2016 District 9 Trustee
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he VIP (Very Important Predental) Workshop breakout sessions was directed towards answering some of the questions that come along with applying to dental school. This session covered the ins and outs of both the AADSAS & TMDSAS applications. Predental students were instructed on the timeline of applying to dental school as well as the importance of the personal statement. Students were urged to apply early due to the limited interview spots offered by most schools. The students were explained the importance of having a well-balanced application that also makes them rise to the top among such a competitive application pool. Predental students are often more excited about dental school than actual dental students, so it is always refreshing to see the excitement in their eyes when they have the chance to ask questions in regards to their future. This session served as informative, while also allowing the students to discuss their experiences among each other, followed by a Q&A.
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Summary by: Alex Edgerly ‘17 Houston ASDA, Predental Advisor Issue 12
Predental
Predental Winner
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t has become clear to me that lifeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s path is anything but linear. Passions, interests, and yearnings drive you from one pursuit to another, leaving you fulfilled from the wisdom and experience acquired along the journey. Like many of you, shadowing was my main motivation to become a dentist. However the biggest stepping-stone that affirmed my desire to be apart of this profession, was attending the ASDA National Leadership Conference as a pre-dental. There is no better opportunity as a pre-dental student to be exposed and inspired to what it truly means to be a dentist, than attending NLC. While I was there I gained inspiration, motivation, and expertise on how to get into dental school, become a dentist, and ultimately, to become a better person. From listening to keynote speakers that ranged from dentist overcoming substance abuse to the first female fighter pilot of the US Navy, the quality of lectures were exceptional. I was exposed to topics like financing your practice, ethics in dentistry, and the best way to apply to dental school. By attending NLC, I gained knowledge on so many things that I wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be able to get anywhere else. More importantly I had a lot of fun and built genuine friendships with the many great dental and pre-dental students that attended. The ASDA National Leadership Conference has made me even more excited to become a dentist. If you are looking for an opportunity to become more passionate about dentistry, to become more educated about the field, and to have a great time, look no further than ASDA and the National Leadership Conference.
Summary by: Timothy Nguyen, Predental Nov. 2015
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UTSD HOUSTON
University of Texas School of Dentistry at Houston 7500 Cambridge Street Houston, TX 77054 www.houstonasda.com
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