Student perspective
reflections Elective
C
ompleting a period of el ect i v e st ud y i s compulsory in order to graduate from Glasgow Dental School and a number
of other dental schools in the UK. Many students choose to use this period to undertake dental volunteer work in a developing nation and it is often seen as something of a “rite of passage”. Having recently completed just such
a project – in the town of Palampur in the north eastern region of Himachal Pradesh in northern India – I have taken the opportunity to reflect on the experi- ence for Scottish Dental magazine, in order to offer any advice for students and any other dental professionals thinking of undertaking volunteer work. When discussing these projects with my
fellow students, we had several things in common that we hoped to achieve. Perhaps the most common aim for students bound for developing nations was more time spent extracting teeth. Older generations of Glasgow Dental School graduates often wax lyrical about the number of extractions they performed as students, and the skill of the oral surgeons at Glasgow Dental Hospital is testament to their hours of practice. However, most students in my year feel
like they have nowhere near this amount of experience, making it a priority for their elective. While this is an understandable, realistic goal for most students, it is impor- tant to always keep in mind the ethical implications of extractions and consider each patient and their needs on an indi- vidual basis. It is also essential to consider the patient’s safety at all times. Many volunteer projects operate in very
remote areas and treatment is provided in ‘camps’, where volunteers set up tempo- rary treatment areas. Time and resources are often limited and it can also be diffi- cult to obtain a thorough medical history from patients – they may speak little or
As he enters his final year of study, dental student Alasdair Regan looks back on his weeks of volunteer work in northern India
Our group visited the Taj Mahal before the start of our elective work
no English, be unaware of any medical problems and translators may not understand what you are asking. These factors all increase the risk of
complications resulting from extractions and, when operating without the safety net of the Southern General Hospital’s maxillofacial department, extractions can seem more intimidating. Therefore, it is important to always consider the necessity of the extraction, the health of the patient and discuss any concerns with fellow volunteers, supervisors and the patient.
Time pressures This leads to another of the most common aims for volunteer work – the opportunity to work in a high-stress environment. Time constraints do not
often cause a problem for students in GDH compared to daily working life in general dental practice (with the excep- tion of Friday afternoon in the Oral Surgery treatment area), as we manage our own restorative patients and consultant clinics are well controlled. Therefore, many other students and
I found ourselves hoping for the oppor- tunity to have more patients to treat, less time and fewer resources in order to prove to ourselves that we are ready for the challenges of working life as a dental professional. However, it is again necessary to consider the ethics and safety of every working situation, continue to strive to deliver the highest standard
Continued » Scottish Dental magazine 27
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