Aliza Siddiqui is a student enrolled in the dental occupations class through the DCTC and an active member of HOSA. Being a member of HOSA and working hands-on at a dental clinic rate gives Siddiqui fantastic opportunities to expand her skills such as communication, hands-on work in a detail-oriented area, taking impressions and dental x-rays, and CPR. When Siddiqui leaves the DCTC program in June, she will have the skills to move directly into employment and higher education in the field. Jada Beane sits down with Siddiqui to talk about her experiences in the dental program.
How could we improve our oral health? Floss. Many people tend to forget to floss during their oral hygiene care, which plays a huge role in gum health. It strengthens them so your teeth can be strong and healthy.
Do you plan on being a Dental assistant, hygienist, or Doctor? I do not plan on going into the dental field. I want to become an anesthetist nurse. Although I am in dental school, I scheduled it in my classes solely to explore and see if I like this field, which I do, but I need to be more passionate about it. Taking this class helps me reach that goal.
What does the class do to help you move to the next level in your career path? This class is college level and it prepares me to be able to work at my own pace and find out which study method works best for me. This helps a lot in college because it is mostly self-paced.
Have you worked with a patient yet? If so, how was your experience? Did you enjoy it? It is definitely on mannequins in the class. It is fun because you can have little conversations with the patient, But It is also beneficial because you can communicate issues and have them sometimes tell you that something is not right.
What is the everyday goal of the class? To be able to strive to do better and do the best that you can with effort and devotion.
What is a favorite part of your clinical experience? I like interacting with people, this expands my communication skills for future patients. It is fun to be able to help out with whatever I can.
What are the basics of dental hygiene? Without question taking care of your teeth, for example, brushing day and night and flossing in between meals, many nerve endings on your teeth branch out into other parts of your body you may not be aware of.
What are your strengths and weaknesses in clinical practice? My strengths are communicating well with my passion and devotion to doing the best I can, my weakness is not handling stress well enough.
How much does this field make? For a dentist, in Michigan, they can range from 150k-250k annually. It depends on where you work and how long you work in that area.
What is your favorite lab you’ve done and what does it consist of? The pros are to be able to get a general understanding of what the dental field looks like and to prepare you for work in college. The cons are that the work can be a lot and procrastination is simply not a choice.
