First of all, you may remember the Harvard Quantitative methods online course I had to do? Well I PASSED! Small victory for me (as I punch the air)!
Every degree I have done, there has been a “WHY?” moment. This is usually before the exams, sitting in my study longingly looking out of the window at the summer weather (exams are always in the summer, it’s just cruel). Watching everyone outside enjoying themselves, and me… drowning in a mountain of textbooks and paperwork.
Why am I bothering, what difference is this all going to make in the long run?
Well in order to succeed, you really need to put your heart and soul into it; you need to believe it’s going to make a difference; otherwise mentally you are destined to failure. In my eyes, doing this degree is going to give me a back-up plan, an alternative income stream. I will have the tools to hand to make a living, not just by drilling teeth but by doing something completely different. I used to envy my friends who did a non-vocational degree at university. They would do a maths degree and end up working in real estate, or a biology degree and end up in marketing. As dentists we are only trained to do one thing, teeth stuff! That’s it!
So, what have I been up to? Well exams are looming, and I am rather worried! It’s a lot of material to cover. We have coursework due in based on social networks in the workplace. At first I thought, what a load of nonsense, but after looking at the data we collected and using social models to analyse and interpret the data, it’s actually quite fascinating! I think this stuff could actually be applied to… wait for it… dental practices! So it is relevant!
My course group are a very hard working bunch, we are definitely dedicated to the cause, and through our WhatsApp group we are encouraging and supporting each other as best we can. I am beginning to feel that it’s not so much the destination with this degree, it’s the journey, and how it is slowly changing the way my thought processes work.
Dr Nilesh R. Parmar BDS (Lond) MSc (ProsthDent) MSc (ImpDent) Cert.Ortho was voted Best Young Dentist at the Dental Awards 2014 and Best Young Dentist in the East of England in 2009 and runner up in 2010. He was shortlisted at the Private Dentistry Awards in the category of Outstanding Individual 2011 and received Highly Commended for Best Dentist South at the 2013 Dental Awards.
Nilesh has a master’s degree in Prosthetic Dentistry from the Eastman Dental Institute and a master’s degree in Clinical Implantology from King’s College London. He is one of the few dentists in the UK to have a degree from all three London Dental Schools and has recently obtained his Certificate in Orthodontics from Warwick University. His main area of interest is in dental implants and CEREC CAD/CAM technology.
Currently studying for his MBA at Imperial College, London, Nilesh runs a successful seven-surgery practice close to London and is a visiting implant dentist to two central London practices. Nilesh has a never-ending passion for his work and is famed for his attention to detail and his belief that every patient he sees should become a patient for life. He offers training and mentoring to dentists starting out in implant dentistry, more information can be found on his website www.drnileshparmar.com.
