DR SARAH LIEW

Dental Surgery Assistant (Malaysia)

//

Company: Save A Smile Dental and Prestige Dental & Oral Facial Surgery

Working period: 6 months

Working hours: 8-10 hours

Job scopes: Assist operator, sterilization of dental instruments, arrange appointment for patients and giving dental advice while settling bills for the patient.

Overall working experience: 4.8/5.0

// SUMMARY

“Working in a private clinic is like a preview of how it will be like working in the outside world – Although you don’t get to treat the patient but you get to observe closely and be part of the execution of the treatment. It is also like a pop quiz, because patients come with different complaints and symptoms, which really put your knowledge to test and you’re all on your own. It is truly a privilege to have the opportunity to work in a specialist clinic whereby the management of complicated cases involved several specialists and general dentist to provide the best dental care to the patient. Of course, working in a private dental clinic isn’t always a bed of roses, there are also challenging times when we have to accommodate difficult request from the patients with our greatest patience and manners. Communication is the utmost importance when it comes to working in a team which is perfectly depicted in a dental clinic. “A good dentist never stops learning” He once said. I was lucky enough to have great mentors and teachers to selflessly pass down their knowledge and share their experiences to me. I will always reminisce this fruitful albeit short 6 months that gave me a lot of new encounters and explorations.”
- Dr Sarah Liew

// RECOMMENDATION

Yes. Although there is way many other things to do while you are in your GAP months, I believe being a dental assistant is also one way to enhance your management skills, and constantly polishing your dental knowledge and be familiar with how to operate a clinic.

Dr Sarah Liew is a proud graduate of Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM). She can be contacted via
Email: sarahjtliew21@gmail.com

DR DARREN YAP

Dental Sales Manager

//

Company: TITAN DENTAL SOLUTION

Working period: 4 months

Working hours: Flexible, depends on companies’ sessions

Job scopes: SALES MANAGER for Univet Loupes, Micerium composite, LAMP.U. Arrange Loupes demo session for different universities, explain about the products to customers and follow up on their purchases.

Overall working experience: 5.0/5.0

// SUMMARY

“As a dentist, we often talk about our clinical skills, the theories, the latest technology, but most of the time we tend to overlook one of the most important skills as a dentist, your soft skills. I believe that working as a sales manager or any salesperson especially in the dental industry is very beneficial to my dental career as well, you will get to know more suppliers (you will definitely need their help in the near future), you will need to talk to strangers (a lot), and on top of that it’s a good way to practise your communication skills and also mastering the art of persuasion. These are very important skills to you if you want to provide high-quality dental care, if you think about it, persuading your patients to go for implants for a better treatment outcome, asking them to do a RCT instead of extraction to save their tooth, are all somewhat related to sales.”

- Dr Darren Yap

// RECOMMENDATION

Yes. Working for TDS was a very good experience, I get to travel to different states (for free), learn about some latest dental technology, I’ve met a lot of new friends and also I get to join some workshops & conferences for free. Besides that the working hours are really flexible, sometimes I might work just 1 or 2 days in a week, and the rest of the time I get to do my own stuff. The only downside of the job might be no basic salary but if you get to sell the items, the commissions are pretty good, so the better you are, the more you get. Btw, the boss is so nice you’ll get free food all the time haha (company dinner we went to Shangrila for buffet). So don’t be afraid to get into a field that you’re not comfortable with, and be open to learn new things. Goodluck!

Dr Darren Yap is a proud graduate of MAHSA University. He can be contacted via
Email: darren.yap94@gmail.com

DR WONG HONG ZHANG

Research Assistant

//

Job position: Research Assistant

Length of working period: 1 year, multiple projects

Working hours: Depends on the project, some require going to facilities during office hours, some require appointments, some require gathering for discussion, but most of the time I work from home, staring at Excel spreadsheet all day, Word document, and EndNote article compilations. A lot of flexibility with it.

Job scopes: Planning the methodology, conducting the experiments, collecting & analyzing the data, compiling results, gathering past articles for literature review, proposing the discussion, writing & editing manuscript, proofreading & publishing the research, presenting at conferences.

Overall working experience: 5.0/5.0, it depends on your interest

// SUMMARY

“I was interested and got multiple opportunities via my university lecturers, and I did reach out to some professors nearby. I learnt by myself how to use EndNote & gather references, and independently conduct the research. Lecturers were helpful in teaching new things in the intricacies of data analysis and publishing & presenting. The best part is the time flexibility and use of computer & Internet resources. It helped hone my research gathering & appraisal skills, and I also gained co-authorship as bonuses.”
- Dr Wong Hong Zhang

// RECOMMENDATION

If you have interest in scientific methodology, reach out to your faculty or people you know. Asking around and showing interest will open the doors of opportunities.

Dr Wong Hong Zhang is a proud graduate from MAHSA University. He can be contacted via

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WongHongZhang

DR TOH JIECY

Dental Surgery Assistant (Singapore)

//

Company: Q&M Dental group

Length of working period: 6 months

Working hours: 56 hours per week

Job scopes:

Reception duties - to arrange the patient appointment and attend to all patients’ inquiry, medication, payment and administrative work.

Assisting duties - Assisting operator, disinfecting clinics and sterilizing instrument

Overall working experience - 4.5/5.0

// SUMMARY

“Dentistry is not all about teeth. There are still much more that we can learn beyond dentistry. I have learnt about the importance of good communication skills. Throughout my stint working as a dental assistant in Singapore, I have observed how the dentists communicated with the patients by presenting all the possible treatment options and advising the best treatment option for them by taking into account many factors such as the longevity of the restoration, patient’s financial status and patient’s compliance. Every treatment plan is individually tailored for every patient and it is essential to involve the patients in the decision making process of their own treatment plan. I was glad that I was able to gain an exposure in a private practice setting in our neighboring country which enabled me to gain a different perspective on the differences of the clinical practice in Singapore compared to Malaysia. I was able to assist different dentists and specialists in which I have gained insight on the various possibilities of future career pathways in dentistry. One of the added benefits was thankfully, we were paid for the entire working stint which enabled us to have financial freedom and also learn to manage our finances independently which covered our living expenses in Singapore. I had a wonderful time working in Singapore with my friends and colleagues and had the chance to explore different tourist attractions in Singapore. Best part of working in Singapore, I was able to meet dentists who hail from different countries all around the world. They are generous with sharing their knowledge and experiences to new budding dentists. Not forgetting, one of the perks of working overseas was the attractive salary as I was earning in Singapore dollars. However, the working hours are relatively long but we were rewarded with extra income for the overtime hours.”

- Dr Toh Jiecy

// RECOMMENDATION

Yes, I would recommend the GAPs to work here. It’s a great chance for the GAPs to gain insight, experience and exposure in Singapore. Take this chance and experience a different lifestyle to Malaysia. Grab the chance to know more people and connect with each other!

Dr Toh Jiecy is a proud graduate of AIMST University. She can be contacted via
Email: jiecytoh1995@gmail.com

DR JOLYNN KOH

Passed Membership of Joint Dental Faculties (MJDF) Part One Exam

//

Membership exam: Membership of Joint Dental Faculties (MJDF) Part One MCQ exam
http://www.mjdf.org.uk/

Preparation period: 1.5 months

Overall experience: 5.0/5.0

// SUMMARY

“Well I know it sounds real geeky preparing for an exam right after graduation! It’s supposed to be the time to enjoy the final few months of unemployed life, until I sprained my ankle and had nothing better to do, haha. MJDF P1 exams really wasn’t as daunting as most people thought it was going to be! Especially if you do it fresh out of uni when your memory is still pretty fresh. I know most of you will say you would’ve forgotten most of the stuffs you’ve studied for anyway, but trust me, it definitely is much easier recalling it a couple of months after your last exams, than it is 2 years into employment, what more with the workload! Work on past year questions (available on FB study groups), get the right resources and guideline references (UK guidelines can be quite different so take note!), and it’ll be a breeze. P2 can be taken at any point within 5 years of completion of P1, annual membership fee of relevant college is required upon completion of P2.

*Note that at this point of writing, the MJDF exams will be replaced with a new programme of assessment, last sitting for MJDF P1 will be in Oct 2020. This will not in any way, affect your future accreditation/membership.”

- Dr Jolynn Koh

// RECOMMENDATION

Yes. If you have the extra time (and a little bit of extra cash, yeah it’s not cheap sadly), and you know that you’ll eventually want to further your studies/ get some extra qualification, why wait?

Dr Jolynn Koh is a proud graduate of King’s College London. She can be contacted via
Email: Drjolynnkoh@gmail.com

DR GALVIN SIM

Postgraduate student in USM

//

Institution: School of Dental Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia

Type of study: Postgraduate study (Research Mode)

Course: Master of Science in Dentistry

Duration of course: 1-2 years full time

Study hour: Flexible

Job scope: Conduct research study

Overall study experience: 5.0/5.0

// SUMMARY

Master of Science in Dentistry (MScDent) program is a fully research-based work that allows student to explore new knowledge in specific area of interest related to dentistry (community dentistry, oral biology, dental implantology, prosthodontics, endodontics, periodontics etc.) I enrolled in this master program right after I graduated from my bachelor’s degree (DDS) in September 2019. As a postgraduate student, I usually spend my time doing lab works, writing academic papers and of course, my master thesis. Besides, I feel grateful to be given the opportunity to assist my lecturers in supervising undergraduate pre-clinical sessions which is a whole new experience for me. The best part of this master program is the ‘flexible schedule’. I can arrange my own timetable and do my work at my own pace.

- Dr Galvin Sim

// RECOMMENDATION

In my humble opinion, there is no conclusive answer to this. However, I think that utilizing ‘gap’ period to further your study not only helps to broaden one’s horizons, but also benefiting those who are interested in doing research and planning to join institutions as their future career pathway.

Dr Gavlin Sim is a proud graduate of Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM). He can be contacted via
Email: galvin_sim@student.usm.my

DR YONG MEEI YENG

Chasing Passion - Co-founded Artventure.my

//

Company: Artventure.my

Working period: Feb 2018-present, 25months

Working hours: 5-9 hours on weekend

Job scopes - Co-founder, oversee the operation of the business

Overall working experience - 5.0/5.0

// SUMMARY

“I always believed in having a hobby, to share the joy of painting, guiding others to discover the beauty of art itself is rewarding besides the monetary value. Hence, Artventure conducts acrylic painting workshop around Klang valley, we do not have a studio, we mobilised painting classes, bringing the most interesting painting classes to your neighborhood. This means that we need to have different operations and marketing strategies or even teaching styles to suit different area and audience. This variation is perhaps the best part of this venture, that has given me ample doors of opportunities to experiment.”

- Dr Yong Meei Yeng

// RECOMMENDATION

Most certainly! I can't stress the importance of having a hobby besides dentistry enough. If you don't know what you like, perhaps it's a sign that you need to start finding /making one.

Dr Yong Meei Yeng is a proud graduate of MAHSA University. She can be contacted via

Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/meeiyeng
https://www.instagram.com/artventure.my/

DR NG EE CHENG

Joined Work and Travel (WAT) in USA

//

Work and Travel Registration Company: Out of the Box (OOTB)

Company in US: Morey’s Piers and Beachfront Water Parks

Position Title: Certified Lifeguard (Full time) & Admission (Part time)

Jobscopes:
Lifeguard - Maintain a vigilant watch of the water park & ensure safety to all users and staff
Administration - Processing sales transaction and assisting guest with park information.

Period of stay: 3 months working + 1 month travelling

Working hours: 8 hours +- (flexible depends on weather, festival and/or personal trip)

Overall experience: 4.5/5.0

// SUMMARY

“Awesome work environment by the beach and free admission to the amusement park (3 large piers and 2 water parks! ) Lifeguard team was great! I really enjoyed my time working there and cooperating with international colleagues. Great training program. It is obvious that they have been doing this for awhile. They make sure everyone know what they have to do and doing it right. Morey’s piers usually organize different theme parties (at least once per month) to promote American culture among foreigners. The sea is beautiful and people are great. Downside, the pay rate was okay. Working hours may reduce depending on the weather. As lifeguard, I had to withstand extreme weathers during training and big crowd during summer (more people to save!) but everything else was excellent.”

- Dr Ng Ee Cheng

// RECOMMENDATION

An eye opening experience to work in their culture. I definitely encourage everyone to take this long break to USA. A country so far away, so expensive but yet with this program, I was able to cover all my living expenses and solo travelling fund for a month.”

Dr Ng Ee Cheng is a proud graduate of Penang International Dental College (PIDC). She can be contacted via
Email: eeecheng78@gmail.com

DR SHAHIRAH ZAINOL

Getting married!

//

“While waiting for your posting, one of the many things you can do is to get married. For me, it’s the perfect time. I thought, why not jump into working and marriage life at the same time? Scary, yes. But more exciting. Don’t get me wrong here. My lan to get married during this time was carefully decided beforehand with approvals from both families. So plan wisely, kids. During this GAP time, I had all the time in the world to plan for the wedding. My graduation was in November 2019 and the wedding was decided to be held in February 2020. So I had roughly 4 jolly free months to ultimately prepare ; wedding rings, dresses, family attires, caterers, venues, decorations, make up, henna and all those little details. I even had the chance to design a few things ; invitation cards to our solemnization and groom’s reception, also the floor plan and welcome board for the solemnization night. It’s truly a personal touch that i am grateful i was able to do for my own wedding. So here is a glimpse of my wedding ceremonies, that i hope you will enjoy.”

- Dr Shahirah Zainol

// ADVICE:

Plan your GAP time wisely. Don’t rush into getting married if you’re not ready. As i claimed before, it’s a big step. Thorough planning and self preparation needs to be done. GAP time is the only time you are absolutely free to choose to do anything you want before starting the government servant life, so choose wisely. You are never getting that time back. All the best.

Dr Shahirah Zainol is a proud graduate of MAHSA University. She can be contacted via
Email: shahirahzainol@gmail.com

DR JOSHUA PEH

Travelling

//

“I love travelling, do you? I hope you do.”

"Personally, I believe travelling is an essential for all of us. Be it travelling interstate or international, short or long period, it is a great escapade for all of us after we conquered the 5 years of hard fought dentistry course and we certainly deserve this sweet escapade. *inserts dramatic background music

I was privileged enough to travel to a few places including Bangkok (a week), Bali (4 days) and America (a month). Each trip started off with a different purpose but the trips gave me experiences beyond my expectations. Fun fact, do you know that it snows in California? During Christmas eve, I was at Big Bear mountain, California where I had the chance to slide down a perfect hill of thick snow and we tried building a snowman. The next day, we went down south and lo and behold we were back to the sunny beaches of Los Angeles and we celebrated Christmas with our loved ones. These were the surprises we encountered during travelling and regardless where you are travelling to, you will have great memories that are engraved deep in your heart.

Travelling may or may not be costly, you just have to plan it well. To save up for my trip, I took up different jobs and working opportunities. We would not get 6 to 8 months of break that often and hence we should not put it to waste. Then during travelling, I kept good track of my expenses and made sure I kept everything within my means, that way I would be able to save up for my next trip. Let me share with you one of my favourite trips, few coursemates and I went on a budget interstate graduation road trip where we brought our graduation gown and took photos at iconic places in Penang, Taiping and Ipoh with my friends. It costed me less than RM200 but the experience was priceless!”

- Dr Joshua Peh

// RECOMMENDATION

The purpose of sharing this is to give you a gist of what travelling sounds like during GAP year. Stress-free would be the perfect adjective for this. Waking up to the serenity of scenery instead of books, meeting new faces instead of new literature, ahhh... priceless! I am not urging you to travel the entire GAP period but you are highly recommended to plan some trips with your friends! Plan it wisely, determine what you want and within your means. They need not be costly, for you are in it for the experience!

Dr Joshua Peh is a proud graduate from University Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM). He can be contacted via
Email: joshua-peh@hotmail.com