THE ART OF DENTISTRY - School of Dental Medicine - Case ...

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Ohio Dental Association program gives
CWRU dental students a reason to dream
BY LIZ LONG
ODA TODAY STAFF WRITER
It's a success. On July 13, 2007, the ODA Street of Dreams event was launched at the
Case Western Reserve University School of Dental Medicine for the first time.
The program, which has been successfully
operating at The Ohio State University
College of Dentistry for over 15 years,
allows dental students a glimpse into the
real-life practices of ODA members—
giving them valuable insight into the
possibilities that await after graduation.
While wildly successful at OSU, when
the program was first tried at CWRU
about 10 years ago, it was not well
received. Giving it a go once more, the
ODA worked with the CWRU Alumni
Board and the Greater Cleveland Dental
Society to resurrect the event at CWRU.
Suzanne Payne, director of events and
special projects, said the feedback from
CWRU students has been positive.
“I have a feeling the program may stick
this time,” she said.
Dr. Linda Records, who served as the event’s
tour guide, echoed Payne’s observations.
“I think there was a positive response and
the help from the CWRU Alumni Board
was great,” said Records, who has assisted
with the event at OSU since its inception.
“I cannot really say what the administration
or the school will do and if they will allow
the students the time off to participate in
the program, but I think the students got
a lot out of it.”
The Street of Dreams program gives
students a realistic look into the everyday
logistics and management of a practice—
valuable information that is often not
fully explored in dental school, said Records.
“The students are happy to meet the
dentists and have an opportunity to see
different types of practices and how they
work,” said Records. “It gives dentists a
chance to tell their stories and their
pitfalls. Dentists are able to tell students
how they went from being a new dentist
to where they are now. It gives the
students some food for thought to use
when they make their choices.”
In total, 18 dental students participated
in the event which began with a tour of
three different dental offices in the
Cleveland area. Participating dentists
included Drs. Stuart Katz, Tom Kelly
and Mario Pavicic.
At each stop, the students received a tour
of the practice as well as information
about the practice’s inner workings—
everything from billing and staffing, to
solving common problems associated
with being a small business owner.
“The program got them out there and
gave them a taste of what a real practice
is like,” said Katz, CWRU Street of
Dreams participant and clinical instructor
at the university. “The students looked at
all the high tech stuff and got real excited
about it. But the day-to-day tasks like
dealing with staff, patients and insurance
companies— the not quite so glamorous
stuff—was news to them.”
Katz said he was impressed by the students’
high level of excitement and curiosity.
“They were so enthusiastic,” he said.
“They could not stop asking questions.
I had an outline of stuff to talk about and
I did not get an opportunity to even say
one thing from it.”
Continued on page 22
ONE STUDENT’S EXPERIENCE
Kari Cunningham
’10, is a sophomore
and the student
representative to the
Alumni Board of
Directors. “I really
saw how important
technology is in a
modern dental practice,” she notes. “I
also observed how Dr. Katz ’69,
incorporated the human element into his
practice—particularly his relationship
with his staff.
Dr. Kelly ’89, gave the students an
idea of what it is like to open a
completely new clinic. Questions that
came up include, does one bring in
another dentist? If so, as an associate or a
partner?
In general, Cunningham saw the exercise
as an opportunity for her to start
thinking about how she will build her
clinical practice. “I see the importance
of technology, though I may not lose
the paper files,” she says. “For me,
important aspects of my practice will
include patient education and comfort.
Technology can be used to great effect
to show patients what you are talking
about. Like Dr. Pavicic ’92, I may
incorporate things like paraffin wax
treatments to relax and calm patients.”
After talking to other participants, the
general consensus was that the program
was worthwhile and very valuable.
Suggestions included adding specialists
and women practitioners to the offices
visited. Thank you to the ODA for
sponsoring such a great event.
The Ohio Dental Association will sponsor
the next Street of Dreams event in July
2008. Students can contact the Office of
Development and Alumni Relations at
dentalalumni@case.edu for information
and registration.