Preparing final-year students for the realities of the workplace is just one way in which mentors provide valuable support to current students.
Dr Martin Gale (MDSc 1999) remembers his first year or two practising as a dentist. He had joined a busy public health clinic in England, where he first graduated, and the fast pace of the work and a lack of support from busy colleagues left him to sink or swim.
“I went into practice as a young graduate in a National Health Practice in England and you had to work fast,” says Dr Gale. “It was a hard first year and my memory of that time makes me want to do something to help new graduates because working in a dental practice is very different to being a dental student at university. I began mentoring for that reason.”
For the past decade, Dr Gale has supported the Medicine Dentistry and Health Sciences Mentoring Program. He advises final-year Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS) students on applying for jobs, identifying a dental practice that will help them navigate the early years of their career, and ensuring they take care of their health and wellbeing.
“Those early years are when you start to shape what the rest of your career might look like. You develop your attitude about quality control, the type of dentistry you want to do, your ethics etc.,” says Dr Gale.
“So, I always advise students to find a job in the right environment with someone who will hold their hand, talk things through, give good advice and guide them correctly.”
This year, Dr Gale has mentored final-year DDS students, Vera Wang and Jing Qian Pang. They took part in the program to find out more about what it is like to practise as a dentist in the real world.
I had a lot of questions about the next chapter of my life. In dental school, it’s easy to focus on passing the next clinic or cramming in theory for the next assessment. Your life is laid out and you don’t always think about the end — you have to get a job and the gap between dental school and the workforce seems big says Vera.
I caught up with Dr Gale every month or two to talk about my career interests, working in the public versus private system, and future speciality areas.
Dr Gale provided frank and useful advice on focusing on the cornerstones of good dental practice — properly planning ahead for a patient’s treatment, communication skills and perfecting basic restorative dentistry skills, like fillings.
Jing Qian and Vera observed Dr Gale, a specialist in endodontics — the diagnosis and treatment of dental root canals — in his clinic. This included insights into the integration of AI into the process.
“I’m interested in endodontics, so observing Dr Gale treating patients in his clinic and seeing the precision of his work and the level of preparation was fascinating,” says Jing Qian.
“I was also keen to learn from him about what to expect as a clinician and how to make the transition from university to work.”
Jing Qian has found the mentoring experience incredibly valuable and encourages future dental students to participate.
“I’d certainly recommend the mentor program. You learn a lot from people out in the field who have years of experience to share.”
Dr Gale says the mentor-mentee program is a two-way learning process. “I definitely learn from the students,” he says. “They keep me up to date with how dentistry is being taught. Explaining how I work clarifies in my own mind what I do and makes me reflect on whether I can improve my practice in any way.
“I like helping young people because I’d like to think they’d have a slightly easier time than I did getting into practice. Vera and Jing are very capable and keen, and so I think they will do well.”
Interested in mentoring? Find out more: mdhs.unimelb.edu.au/engage/alumni/mentoring