i want to be a dentist

Yesterday, a patient gave me a very nice statement to me : "Doc, when I grow up, I want to become like you."
Eh, wait a moment. You don't know what kind of rollercoaster I ride in my life -and you want to become like me ?

Then, her mom told me that they adore the way I move in clinic. It seems that my passion always brings a happiness in my steps.
It's true indeed. If you fall in love, you will appear more attractive, and more beautiful. I love my job so much and there, they can see it in my face.

I tell you, the worst past of being a dentist is just 1 :
YOU HAVE TO GRADUATE FROM A DENTAL SCHOOL
And it's not an easy way to do.

Now, everytime my patients asked me about my good old days memory in dental school, I can happily share them the story. Because I have passed the past. But back in time when I was in dental school, which it was 11 years ago anyway, it was my most nightmare ever.
Yes, ever ! Even worst than when I found out that my beloved ex boyfriend cheated on me.

I was struggling with all requirements during my dental school. It was horror. I was spending most of time (and money) to look after patients, from small alleys to smaller alleys. Let me explain this to you if you are not a dental student. This sounds weird, but in Indonesia, all dentistry students during the co-ass, we have to find our patients by ourselves.

WHY ?
Good question !
Because first, we are not dentists yet. And patients won't consider to seek treatments from dentist-to-be. They want a real dentist to treat them.
Second, our nice dental hospital's patients, can't compare with our huge amount of students. So the supply will never meet the demand. If we wish to finish our requirement faster, will be faster if we find for our own patients.
In short conclusion, it will take forever if we hope that our beloved faculty will provide all the requirement patients for us. So, we have to find them by ourselves.

I have several methods to find my requirement patients. Long story. I will post it separately.

If you want to be a dentist, based on my experience as a dental student, you have equipped and armored yourself with.... PATIENCE. You know that your requirement-patients won't come in a blink. You have to search, and rescue them. If they can't match your schedule, you have to do everything for them to make them can match your schedule. Either you beg their boss, their teacher, their husband / wife, or later, just like what I always do.... I helped my little patients with their homework, taught them, pick them up from school and sent them back to school, and don't forget the goodiebags.

It was tiring. And not fun. And if you want to go to dental school in Indonesia, you have to be prepared. You will definitely struggle with a lot of things to get your batch. And welcome to Indonesia, your challenge is not only your patients, but you must have a super extra patience facing all those complicated birocracy and those people in campus. Let's said, lecturers, technicians, assistants, even your own colleagues.

That was a difficult long procedure to become a dentist.
I don't want to go back in those days, anyway.

I remember my little orthodontic patient, Uti. I wrote about them a lot in my previous posts earlier during my dental school. Maybe now she's 17 or 18 already. She was a patient with the longest treatment I ever gave during the dental school. I must follow up her case for 2 years in total which means I should have a well cooperation with her, her very big family, teachers, and her many many friends. Every Lebaran I came for silaturahmi in her house (I can't find a proper word in english for this, hahaha !), visiting her parents, grandparents, her 9 brothers and sisters, gave her gifts in every birthday, bought her whatever she wants if she can cooperate well, and I remembered last time I gave her a bike for a goodbye-gift after I graduated. This is not bribering, anyway - this is more to compliment for them. When your future depends on your patients, you should complimenting them with one stop service rather than retake all semesters back if your patient decided to break you up.

Despite with all of those nightmares, being a dentist is the most wonderful thing in my life. This one is true. Although I should say to you, that being a dentist doesn't mean that you have to work as a real dentist. You know, drilling, filling, extracting, etc. Ok, that one is the basic, but not the major. That old fashioned dentist concept is now changing. Just like what I do now, I set up also the concept of lifestyle for dental health. But other dentists can have their own passion side by side with our basic skill. They can be anyone. Yes, just anyone. Either a hospital manager, dental lecturer, clinician, technician, marketer, just anyone. Because there are lots of part in dentistry that you can apply in your daily basis. And it's true !