My journey as a clinical instructor..

So far, things are going very well! I am really enjoying working with different students and instructors to find my own style of teaching. Since I am still a fairly new graduate, I can relate to the students and where they are in the program. The junior students are overwhelmed with balancing their course work and clinic, and the seniors are a month away from taking their board exams and nervous about meeting their graduation requirements. It is fun for me to be able to recall on my experiences and help them from personal experience.

I have learned that clinical teaching is very individualized. The experienced instructors have worked with these students, and it helps when they share what they have observed in the past with students. For example, one student struggles with time management. For her, it is important to set time goals and keep her moving. Other students struggle with instrumentation, so I have to watch the way they do things and individualize how I help them. I have learned that there are patient management situations that are difficult for the students to handle, and some are just out of control. I have had several students cry for various reasons, and it has helped bring out the mentor in me. I guess I have used war stories in these situations, and tell them about my bad experiences and how they will pass.

I relate with the instructors because they are still learning as well. I really appreciate when they take my feedback into consideration when reviewing the day with the students or grading students. Like I said before, I can relate to the students on a different level because I was just in their position and remember it vividly.

I think I am good at working with students on professionalism and patient management. I have found that many students are not confident in themselves yet, and struggle to answer their patients questions. Also, they get frustrated with Axium, and forget that they are in front of a patient. Sometimes they need a friendly reminder that the patient always needs to be the focus of attention.

In the same way, I need to work on letting the students answer patients’ questions. I have been in a few situations where there is an extensive restorative exam or periodontal consult, and the patient is left very confused. I ask if they have any questions, and help explain things to them. This needs to be a situation for the students to talk, not me. I also struggle because I have different connections with these students. I used to be on a team with one of the seniors, work with one of the juniors, and I taught a cheer camp for one of the juniors. I have to keep in mind to keep my friendships out of the clinic, and keep things on a professional level.