The title sums up how I feel to be a newly minted D-4 here in good ol' dental school. You are a king amongst morons, and that is putting it politely. Dental students in general are neurotic, obssessive, over-achieving people. You don't realize how insane they are until you see the classes beneath you. Then you realize how you were pretty much exactly the same way.
I see the D-3s going through the exact same pitfalls that I was stumbling through right at the begining of full-time clinic. Getting upset about failures, freaking out about openings, freaking out about pretty much everything.
Ah, but now I get to sit back and take it all in. It was actually quite remarkable. The day we changed to fourth year students, it seemed like the faculty in general treat you a LOT differently - and in good ways.
Faculty members I was terrifed of 12 months ago are yucking it up with me about this, that, and the other. You truly feel like the big dog....of the idiots of course. We still are students, we still have bullshit assignments, we still get talked to like little kids (by the academic departments), and we still are paying out the nose for three more semesters.
The greatest thing is the no class aspect of D-4 year. We have a total of around seven times this entire semester where we have to be at the school at 8am for good old compcare + rotation paperwork business. Other then that, my alarm is set for 8:15 and I'm enjoying the shift for every ounce of greatness that it is.
Rotations have started for the "A" group. Being in the "B" group means I go out two weeks from now. Expect some sort of post on my rotation experience after I complete the first set. Children's Clinic ahoy!
So what are my requirements this semester?
Direct peformance exam (class II, III, or IV)
Perio Maintenance/Re-eval/SRP (three exams total that need to be finished by the end of Fall)
CaseCAT - Annoying research paper that they are piloting on my class. God I love it.
Assorted CompCare Crap (ACCC) - The usual stuff I presume..although they still haven't really told us
Scary Mock Prosth Exam - Prep 3-5 bridge (3 - FGC, 5 - PFM) and #8 All Ceramic.
The big change to note is that EVERYTHING is now pass/fail. This is good in that stress of performance exams is GREATLY reduced. However, it is sort of silly because your entire grade is going to be determined by the most biased and uneven portion of the gradebook - the faculty evaluation. I'm to far along to care at this point though. Case in point - I nearly got a 4.0 last semester and my GPA didn't move - so I guess I'm stuck with what I've got. Way to many credit hours in the books to move.
Still no C's in dental school though...hope to continue the streak.
So the schedule doesn't seem terrible right? Well, remember that I am on rotation for 5 out of the 12 weeks this summer - leaving me a grand total of 7 to get anything and everything accomplished. This doesn't include all the assorted graduation reqs I'm trying to coordinate (limited ortho case, Implant case, other). Did I mention that performance exam patients love to cancel/fail appointments?
I also seem to have a TON of lab work that has just really started piling up. Despite spending ample time in the lab due to a rash of patient failures/cancellations - I still seem to be falling behind. Damn dentures.
I'm also applying to GPR programs..and getting together my recommendations and applications is just another chore.
Let's also be reminded that like an idiot, or lord of the idiots if you prefer, I decided to register for the NBDE Part II and am taking it on August 10-11....oops?
So I'm pretty busy.
Right now my only strategy is to read the MOSBY review book and do all the released exams. Updates shall be forthcoming.
So while the glories of being a senior student are nice. I still feel this mounting pressure in the back of my head that probably won't be letting up until May next year.
The pressure is also going to keep getting worse
and worse
and worse
and worse
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