5 Tips for Your First Year Out of Dental School

Uncategorized Mar 10, 2023

After all that time spent studying, practicing, and learning as much as you possibly could to graduate from dental school, it would be wonderful if it was all smooth sailing from here on out. Real life is rarely so idyllic though, and your first year out of school will come with quite a few challenges you’ll need to face head-on. Use these tips for your first year out of dental school so you can put yourself on the best path forward.

Find Your Mentors

There’s quite a gap between how you learn in dental school versus how you’ll practice dentistry for real. To bridge this gap in knowledge, it’s a good idea to seek out those who have already been through it and learn from them. Many experienced dentists will have a wealth of information about how to survive that first year of freedom. A strong mentor may also warn you of some of the common traps that new dentists can fall into so you can avoid them.

Foster a Growth Mindset

With all the effort you’ve already put in, it makes sense that you feel confident in your abilities. However, you are still human, and humans aren’t perfect. You will make mistakes and some of them may be bad. It’s easy to get down on yourself for this, but using these experiences to learn and grow as a dentist is the best way to make sure you don’t repeat the same mistakes.

Develop Your Patient Communication Skills

A crucial tip for your first year out of dental school is to work on your communication skills. Unlike dental school, you’ll have far more patients and much less time with each of them. This makes effective communication with them essential. Understanding their concerns and being able to effectively communicate how you can help them will serve you just as much as your skills with your tools.

Consider Moving Where the Demand Is

Finding a supportive place to work can be a real concern for new dentists. If you live in a heavily populated area, this can be even more difficult as there will be many others vying for the same positions. You may want to consider moving somewhere where the demand for dentists is higher until you gain more experience. These areas will value your skills more and give you more opportunities to learn quickly.

Continue To Learn When You Can

The learning process isn’t over when you graduate. Dentistry evolves quickly, and you’ll need to continue gaining new skills and knowledge to stay competitive. You won’t learn everything you need to be successful in school, which is where continuing education courses can be beneficial for newer dentists.