Syriana Etheart: Interview For an Internship (3 points)

         On December 29th, I had an interview at my local dental office for a potential summer internship opportunity. I plan to become a dentist one day and maybe even own my practice. As a first-year student, I feel like I lack a lot of knowledge when it comes to the dental field and want to change that. Additionally, I know that what I do during my summers is really important for my applications to dental school. Thus, I began the search for an internship around October. I knew the most accessible option would be my local dental office. I reached out to the office manager, expressed my interest in an internship, and set up a meeting. 

Overall, I would say that the interview went very well. The practice manager first began by asking why I was interested in dentistry as a career. I explained how my upbringing exposed me to accessibility issues present within dental care, alongside my curiosity regarding the importance of dental hygiene. For the remainder of the interview, the manager discussed what the internship would actually entail.  would essentially be doing admin work behind the desk. This would include communication with patients, booking appointments, and more activities of that nature. This honestly wasn’t what I was expecting from the internship, seeing as I believed it would be a little more hands-on. However, I understood, as the manager explained, that there are certain certifications I would need. Therefore, I definitely want to look more into getting those certifications so I can get even more experience and strengthen my future application. Nevertheless, I believe this internship will be helpful. Admin work will give me insight into the business side of dentistry, which will ultimately be helpful when it comes to opening my own practice. Additionally, the manager explained that their particular practice was very big on education, so I believe I would still have the opportunity to learn a lot.

Towards the end of the interview, the manager and I discussed what the internship would look like logistically and my availability. This opportunity would be unpaid, so the manager agreed that it would be okay to only come into the office around 1-2 times a week, so I could still have a part-time job. I did ask her if there would be potential opportunities for shadowing despite having no certifications. The manager did say it could be possible, but she just had to confirm with the head dentist. We ultimately agreed that post-interview, we would continue to communicate with each other so we can finalize the details. I’m really happy with how the interview went overall, and I think this will be a great opportunity to strengthen my ability to communicate with patients and show dental schools that I have experience in dental offices. The next time I have an interview, I want to make sure that I send a thank-you email as soon as possible after the interview's conclusion. I forgot to send the email within 24 hours, so I believed it was too late to send one. Therefore, next time I’ll be sure to do that. Nevertheless, I can’t wait to see what I’ll learn from this internship in the summer!