Jeena Patel is a third-year student on the BDS Dentistry with a Foundation Year course at Manchester. Here, she reveals why she was determined to study dentistry despite various setbacks, and how the foundation year has prepared her for training as a dentist.
Dental care, to me, is a highly stimulating and rewarding career, involving a combination of science, art and interpersonal skills. It requires mastery of techniques, not only in restorations and enhancing aesthetics, but also to provide and support good oral health.
Despite not having the correct A-level requirements, I knew dentistry was the right career choice for me.
My journey
Having faced setbacks during my school years and GCSEs, receiving an extremely delayed diagnosis of dyslexia and the beginnings of endometriosis, amongst others, I was devastated to receive a B in chemistry GCSE, especially since I attended a very competitive school.
This meant I couldn’t take the subject at A-level, which led me to the scary thought that my dreams of a career in dentistry were shattered. As chemistry is the one subject required to apply to dentistry, I immediately began looking for other options, trying my best not to lose hope.
With the help of my academic advisor, I stumbled across the six-year BDS with a Foundation Year course – a programme specifically designed for those who have not taken science subjects at A-level.
I knew it would be tough, as this course is mixed with the foundation medicine students – a small cohort of roughly 25-30 students, of which only 3-9 spaces are for dental students each year (at Manchester).
So, despite having chosen the wrong A-levels of Economics, Biology and Business, I powered through and applied to the three universities that offered the foundation year for which I was eligible. I was ecstatic to receive interviews from all the universities I applied to.
I went on to enrol on the foundation course at Manchester, which prepared me for the full BDS course and taught me the relevant basics of what I missed through not taking chemistry A-level. I am now happily in my third year of the BDS course.
How the foundation year course is different to the 5-year BDS
Manchester offers a 5-year BDS and a 6-year BDS with a pre-clinical (foundation) year.
Both are very competitive courses with the same application process, requiring a separate application form, interview stages and an aptitude test called the UCAT.
The key difference is that the 6-year course is specifically designed for students who have taken no sciences or only one science at A-level, and are therefore not eligible to apply to the 5-year course.
The extra year is counted as Year 0, with students attending a partnership college half the week to learn the relevant A-level content alongside introductory medical and dental-related content that eases the transition between A-levels and university.
Why dentistry?
Dentistry is a multi-faceted career requiring many different skills – manual dexterity, empathy, and a genuine interest in science and public health to name a few. It is often described as a combination of art, science and engineering, as there is a mastery and technique unique to the profession.
This means it is a brilliant choice for someone like me, who loves continual learning and is very creative. With my creative hobbies of painting and cake decorating, a career in which I can transfer and utilise these fine skills while also providing patients with tangible results to boost their confidence and help relieve pain, is so exciting.
No two days are the same; never knowing what to expect with patients and constant technological advancements means there are always learning opportunities. Undertaking work experience at both private and NHS practices during my A-levels helped cement my passion, and heightened my curiosity in the field.
It was fascinating to see the use of fibre optic cameras and CAD to enable same-day restorations, which improved the care patients received. Witnessing root canal treatments stressed the risks of working close to delicate nerves, requiring high dexterity levels, patience and precision when working within the confined oral cavity. I particularly loved the idea of being able to build my own relationships with patients in the future.
Public health was another big motivator for choosing this career. Oral health and overall health are connected: the mouth is the largest opening that connects the body’s internal environment to the external. There is a huge need for both accessible and affordable dental care in the UK, and dentists play a huge role in not just treatment, but also early prevention of oral health diseases.
I am now in my third year of dental school after having completed the foundation year, and am constantly learning more about the profession, confident that I made the right choice by choosing dentistry.
Learn more about studying dentistry at Manchester.
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