Life as a house surgeon at Dow International Dental Hospital

- Dr. Maliha Sobani

A little insight into the story of how I survived as a house surgeon at Dow International Dental Hospital. (DIDH).

Having the opportunity to have worked at DIDH for a year as a house surgeon was a remarkable experience which enabled me to acquire a number of skills related to dentistry. It polished my skills as a dentist and gave me the confidence that I lacked throughout the course of my study period at my college.

Being an international student from Canada, I thought working at DIDH would not allow me to cater to the patients , due to being a fresh graduate and not having any experience to perform. I was astonished by the independence accompanied by supervision that I had whilst working.

It built a wall of confidence in me, that helped shape me into a good dentist who is capable of dealing with all sorts of patients and performing a number of dental procedures.

I mean back home in Canada, even after you are a registered dentist you are NOT allowed to just jump in and start practicing and perform procedures without having to give a number of examinations to attain your license. Here, I was able to work and cater to the patients, develop good interpersonal skills and be able to deal with and satisfy patients' needs and wants, and further educate them about their oral hygiene.

I mean it did come with a price tag, with that I mean in the beginning I did break a number of teeth with retaining roots in surgery, my hand did shiver upon giving anesthesia but because the patient was my responsibility, by any means I had to try with supervision to take the retained roots out, and not send the patient home with pain, discomfort or dissatisfaction.

Due to those certain incidences, I developed a lot more confidence, I was able to face mishaps a lot confidently, it allowed me to develop excellent hand-working skills, and deal difficult situations with ease of nerves. The faculty and the supervision I had, and the amount of support that I was given by my fellow coworkers and seniors was ecstatic.

Although I was independent at my working field, if I was ever unsure or needed guidance I was always surrounded by a highly qualified series of staff that could attend to me and the patient. Due to the confidence and support that motivation I had, I was finally able to give anesthesia without shivering, I was able to give patients a more welcoming smile when they walked in, and I was able to perform dental procedures a lot more effectively. I went from performing 2 extractions a day to performing 10-15 extractions a day.

Through the course of my period at DIDH, I had an experience that I would never be able to forget. It changed me from being an inexperienced, unknowledgeable dentist to a more confident, knowledgeable and experienced dental surgeon.  I was able to satisfy my patients, and provide them with a more beautiful smile. The greatest satisfaction lies within that feeling you get when the patient that was once in extreme amount of pain, smiles at you and puts their hand on your head and gives you well-wishes to succeed in life. That makes all the crying, the screaming, the yelling in the OPD worth it.

I mean if I were to give a heads up on one thing, that definitely would be... getting ready to gain some extra pounds at work. Your day will eventually start off by eating a paratha and egg for breakfast followed by biryani or spicy chicken tikkas at lunch accompanied by occasionally snacking on samosas or rolls. The good thing for the canteen lovers would be the fully equipped gym that is available for all students and employees within the premises. 

With the exception of having a high dose of the canteen food with the evidence of gaining pounds, I am grateful to have worked as a house surgeon at Dow International Dental Hospital , as it empowered me to be a great dentist, it gave me the confidence to deal with all sorts of patients and spread knowledge and awareness with regards to maintaining oral health. I feel this year better equipped me to perform a number of dental procedures and gave me an edge over my friends who are still back home in Canada performing procedures on models and phantom head lab.

About Dow International Dental Hospital

Dow International Dental Hospital is a state of the art dental hospital located in Karachi, Sindh, with over seven departments. It is a semi private hospital that is fully equipped to cater to all sorts of patients. They have a team of highly experienced dental surgeons that provide a greater experience for the patient. It is a hospital that strongly believes in the advocation of controlling cross contamination. The instruments that are used at the OPDS are sterilized in an autoclave and each dental unit is disinfected daily after procedures.

DIDH is a hospital that takes advanced measures to control cross contamination , they welcome all sorts of patients even with infectious disease, as their goal is to cater to all patients. Precautions with infectious disease such as Hepatitis/tuberculosis patients is taken via having advocated a separate dental unit in every OPD specific to patients with hepatitis. The instruments used for patients with these infected diseases are also separate and labelled and are sterilized and autoclaved separately from the rest to prevent cross contamination.

The most important measure that we are taught to take is to treat every patient as an infectious patient, and to always wear labcoats, gloves, masks, and in certain procedures goggles upon interaction with patient.

DIDH is an outstanding hospital, which strides to provide patient satisfaction, it provides reasonable rates for procedures, and a hospital that highly believes in protecting the patient and patients health.