Personal Statement – Revision #2

I began and will finish college as business finance student.  The competition of the business world excites and motivates me.  I worked four internships during college in positions ranging from a health care consultant at a litigation consulting firm to director of marketing for an executive coaching company.  I learned two key things from these experiences that guided me towards dentistry as career: One, I am relationship oriented and desire to be interacting with others throughout my workday.  Two, I need to be taking care of people to feel validated as an individual.

My story begins the winter before last; my father’s emotional health came to a dismal low due to a ten year bout with back issues and degenerative hip arthritis.  I left school for three months to move home and support him.  My father and I found some specialized therapy and, eventually, surgery that led to a decrease in pain and an increase in mobility and quality of life for him.  Today, dad is driving again, volunteering at church, counseling individuals, and taking vacations to Mexico and NCAA basketball tournaments with his friends.  I am very proud of him.  This experience reaffirmed for me the life changing positive impact health care workers can have on the lives of others.

Before coming home to support my father, I had not found an ideal career for myself within the business world.  My previous internships had left me feeling unchallenged and without an ideal career goal to shoot for.  Being at home with dad, I had the opportunity to analyze my values and re-evaluate what characteristics my future career path needed to encompass.

I came up with the following characteristics.  My future career must allow me to:  1. Take care of and interact with people.  2.  Have a direct and recognizable impact on the lives of others.  3.  Be an active member of my community.  4.  Allow for freedom of schedule to spend time with future wife, children, friends and community.  5.  Allow for me to provide for my parents, sisters, future wife and children.

Once I discovered that dentistry met my required career characteristics, I called up my family dentist from childhood, Kurt Peterson, to ask him if I could follow him around his practice for a day.  I had remembered him being a very sweet man, so of course he said “Yes!”  Kurt, the staff and I had an enjoyable day together.  Kurt was impressed with my ability to connect with the patients, build relationships with the staff and my avid curiosity of dental science.  The staff members told me that they would be more than happy to work with me one day (--could have been the peanut brittle I bribed them with at lunch as a thank you for taking me in for the day).   Kurt’s wife Holly, who had just retired from practicing dentistry, facetiously, but sweetly and optimistically, invited me to come and take over the practice once I finish dental school. 

After that experience, I did some informational interviews with other dentists and researched the profession online.  Then, I acquired a job at the Graduate Periodontics clinic on the University of Tennessee campus.  I worked there during the 2004-2005 school year and plan on returning once I finish dental school interviews.  This experience reaffirmed my desire to enter the dental field.  I enjoyed coming to work.  I enjoyed the relationships I formed with the staff, residents and professors.  I enjoyed assisting the residents during exams and, especially, surgeries.  I definitely have a passion for surgery.  I assisted on surgeries such as: crown lengthening, extractions with socket preservation using allografts and membranes, open flap debridement, osseous resective surgery, and soft tissue (gingival) grafts.  I yearn for the opportunity to perform surgeries myself.  Getting to know the diverse range of patients allows me to connect with people from all walks of life.  I enjoy learning about dentistry whenever the professors and residents have time to share their knowledge.

Dentistry stands as the best career fit for me.  I did the due diligence by exploring every interesting career choice I could think of, and dentistry is the best fit.   I look forward to opening or taking over a dental practice.  By combining my strategic, motivational, organizational, financial, and personal business skills with those acquired in dental school, I will create a successful business.  In my vision, a successful dental practice would meet the following criterion: 97% customer satisfaction, employee retention rates twice that of the industry average, profit margins that are in the top 10% of regions dental practices, a well known reputation for innovation, professionalism, customer service and quality workmanship, and, lastly, me driving to work each morning singing to the radio because I am happy to be coming to work!

Here are some other reasons that I find dentistry to be a good fit.  First, I enjoy working with my hands and look forward to shaping quality works of art (healthy teeth).  Each project I begin, such as filling a cavity or inserting dental implants, will often be finished within a few minutes to a few hours.  There is innate personal joy stemming from completing a project and witnessing the positive results.  For example, I cannot wait until I am looking at the amalgam filled cavity in Mrs. Johnson’s mouth and saying “Wow Mrs. Johnson! Your filling looks great!”

Dentistry offers many exciting options once I graduate from dental school.  I could open up my own family dentistry practice and take care of the oral health of my friends, their families, my congregation, and the rest of my community.  I would be able to take care of the same adults and children that I see at the grocery store, school PTA meetings or the lake.  Another option after I finish my doctorate could be to continue in school to become a dental specialist.  I really enjoyed my experiences with surgery.  Both periodontia dna oral pathology intrigue me.  Of course, my interest may due to my experiences during dental school.  One last path I am considering is that of the teacher.  I enjoy imparting knowledge to interested minds and aiding others in reaching their goals.

I believe one’s values are the base on which the rest of a person is built.  My core values, in order of importance, are the following:  1. Friends and Family,  2. My Commitments,  3. My Community,  4. Personal Health, and 5. Personal Growth