First posting

Assalamualaikum wbt

Today I would like to share my experience in my first posting. (Forgive me this is going to be wordy no photos at all)

Basically, as a first year dental officer or known as FYDO, you'll be posted in different specialities. The duration n specialty might differ according to the state you are posted to.

Here in terengganu, all specialties are available and located at kuala terengganu whether in general hospital or somewhere just nearby it. Below is the list of postings you will get in terengganu.

1. Oral surgery, oral medicine and oral pathology (4 months in GH)

2. Community dentistry (4 months in the given district u r posted to)

3. Paediatric dentistry (1 month in GH)

4. Orthodontic (1 month in Klinik Pergigian Jalan Sultan Mahmud (KPJSM) located inside GH)

5. Periodontic (1 month in KPJSM)

6. Restorative dentistry (1 month in KP Bukit Payong)

Ok that's all I can tell and it is subjected to change.

My first posting was in paeds dept. And I'll only be posted to district clinic/hosp at the end of my FYDOship.

Before I entered dentistry, I had the ambition to become a specialist in paeds because I thought I love kids. That happened to be just my delusion. I found kids were very difficult to handle and I just hate their tantrums and childish manners (come on la dhuha, they are children after all)

Therefore I stopped dreaming of becoming a children specialist. I didnt hv any passion in dentistry and so I felt demotivated to specialise in anything. I thought I'd just become a general dentist or perhaps join admin department and just do the admin stuff.

Endodontic? I love endo but I cant stay too long by the dental chair just looking at small root orifice. I remember during my final year of dentistry I did root canal treatment (RCT) almost every week and I had a really sore back for months. My ergonomics is really bad when it comes to RCT.

Surgery? I love surgery but standing too long gave me backache too. Plus too much to study hoheh. And a busy department. Does not suit a gastric and low blood pressure patient like me.

Public health? Would love too. I can get involve in policy making and manage things at national level. However studying public health is a painful experience. Boring and dry subjects.

Those are the 3 specialties I would consider. But now paeds has entered the list. My paeds posting was a wonderful experience. Alhamdulillah Allah sent me to terengganu and placed me in paeds as my first rotation. At first I was like "oh no!!!! Why paeds???" But after day 1  i began to love not only paeds but dentistry as a whole.

While in paeds, I learned a lot on how to manage children. Was difficult at first but slowly it became a tropical breeze under a sunny day by the crystal blue beach (sorry hyperbola di situ) The staff are very wonderful and helpful too. Specialist is super nice. Permanent officers are super nice. Dental surgeon assistants are also super nice. We are all like 1 family and I just love being with them and working with them as one team until it hurts me to finally leave the dept and move to the other dept. I would love to come back and work there if given a chance.

I thank Allah for surrounding me with positive working environment and inspiring people that influence my positive attitude towards my working life. I really like it here but i constantly remind myself that things wont always go as smooth as this. Someday I'll go through bumpy and windy roads. Just keep that in my mind.

I like working in paeds because its not too busy and not too relax. Just nice. Besides I love working in hospital setting. I love ward rounds and I also love surgery. In paeds, surgery is done once a week with maximum of 3 patients for each surgery day. Heaven and not too painful aye? Ward rounds on the other hand depend on how many pts were admitted to ward including emergency cases. So being a pedodontist makes you feel more doctorish. Huihui..

Other than that you got to do other dental stuff like fillings, tooth extraction, root canal treatment etc. But just for patients aged 17 years and below. Small working area because children are small obviously. Their mouth just fit nicely with my little fingers. I found children are quite comfortable with me since I'm small and cute just like them (perasan sebentar)..but its true. Adults often make fun of my petite size by saying I wont be able to pull their teeth out. Its partially true. I can pull their teeth out but they have to bear with me for 15-30 minutes for 1 single tooth. Then i'll have sore arm the whole day. Therefore just let me treat children. Pulling out children's teeth is just like petik kacang di kebun sayur opah.

Working hours are just like office hour n quite flexible. Study period for specialization is between 3-4 years. Scope of study quite big but I like that because  then I will not become easily bored just to study on one specific specialty. In conclusion I would seriously consider to master in paeds and I am. Cant wait to sit for pre-master exam or whatever they called it.

somebody who used to hate dentistry;
Dr. Dhuha
XOXO

P/s whoever prayed for my enjoyable working experience, thank u so much. Only Allah can reward u :)