PV Blogs (Again) #1
A Tito Dentist’s Guide to Surviving the Dental Boards
It’s the Philippine Dental Boards season again! How are you all doing future DMDs? Have you finished reading those reviewers and notes you kept since you college days? Have you practiced doing your complete denture cases as quickly and as accurate as much as possible?
We all have different ways to prepare for the boards. Relax and take it easy future doc. As the millennial tito dentist who’s been in the practice for 7 years, I’ll share some tips on how to survive the boards.
Keep your college notes
Still have those notes you have from college? You might want to keep them. Most of the questions on the written phase might be taken from the books so don’t ditch your college notes. You might also want to compare it to your reviewers for accuracy and to note any discrepancies.
Make use of highlighters properly
It’s a no-brainer that highlighters are important to every reviewer. Are you the type of person who might highlight an entire paragraph to remember? I was guilty of this too in my review days. 😂
Use your highlighters to mark all important key phrases or words. And yes, you don’t need to shade the entire paragraph. You might also want to color code your highlighters. For example, you might want to use pink for important key words, green for examples and blue for key words to validate.
Give extra attention to subjects or areas you think that you need improvement
Are you struggling with remembering all those clinical vs. radiographic features in Oral Pathology? Is Restorative Dentistry driving you mad with all those classifications to remember?
Take note of those subjects where you seem to struggle and give them some extra effort. You can also apply this to the practical phase. Practice doing the tooth preparations, designing, taking accurate impressions and vertical dimensions and tooth setting. Try to do it as quick and as accurate as possible. Learning crucial skills in the actual practice may take time and lots of trials.
Do your readings where you feel most comfortable
Is the nearby cafe your sweet spot for catching up on your readings? Or do you prefer reading at home? Some of us have preferences when it comes to this.
My advice? Do your readings where you can focus and where you are free from distractions. If you are reviewing in a public place, be mindful of your personal belongings and your surroundings.
Does music help? If you think that it will boost your focus, then by all means, do it. Bring out that Lo-fi study playlist, blast your favorite K-pop tunes or play Midnights by Taylor Swift on repeat whenever you feel like it.
Take occasional breaks, get enough sleep and eat well
Future docs, remember to take care of your physical and mental well-being too. All work and no play makes Johnny a dull boy as to what they say.
Get enough sleep, exercise and eat healthily. Take study breaks from time to time but don’t make it longer than it needs to be. Remember, you still have a licensure exam to pass.
Invest in dental instruments and materials of good quality
For the practical phase, you might want to check your dental materials and instruments. Is it still functional? Do you have expired dental materials? Are they enough for the boards?
Now would be the perfect time to make a checklist. Make sure that your instruments won’t break during the boards. I’m sure all of you wouldn’t want your high speed handpiece breaking down in the middle of your tooth prep.
Check if you have enough dental materials for the boards. Also, don’t forget to check those expiry dates. The dental materials that you’ll use in the practicals must be of good quality too for optimal results.
Remember to invest in good quality dental materials and instruments! For the instruments, you may ever use that in your clinical practice if they are properly maintained.
Don’t compare yourself to how others are doing
There will be times that you might compare yourself to how your fellow examinees or batch mates are doing. “I wish I had batchmate A’s skills in tooth prep. He can finish it in 1 hour.”
It’s okay to feel that sometimes but remember, your goal in the boards is to pass. Study at your own pace for the written exams and for the practicals, practice practice practice! Your goals in the practicals must be to do things as accurate and as quick as possible.
And that’s it. Best of luck to you, future DMDs and go get that license! May the odds always be in your favor! 🦷💪
