A woman and an experienced dentist, I finished dental school and had multiple internships in my native Jordan as an honors student. Wholly devoted to dentistry and oral health, I have been building a new home with my family in the United States for the last several years, and I am now a citizen by marriage. It is my sincere hope to return to my field, the practice of dentistry, here in America. To this end, I have been working hard to prepare myself for advancement in dentistry here in the USA as much as possible, given that I have also become the mother of two beautiful daughters. I hope to be selected to complement the diversity of an advanced placement DDS/DMD Program for International Dentists.
I hope to be selected for an IDP Program based on diligence and promise. I feel called to dental missionary work on behalf of the increasing number of refugees from neighboring countries now making my native Jordan home. With no end to the widespread conflict in neighboring Iraq and especially Syria, I feel my calling to my bones to help every time I turn on the news and see the pictures of the devastation. Providing oral health care to those fortunate enough to escape the violence would be a profound privilege since I see it as my duty to help these refugees. Every day I give my all to my studies in an IDP program; I will focus on the contribution I intend to make to the underserved back home in our desperately troubled Middle East after completing your program.
I have always been profoundly serious, mature for my age, and sensitive to the pain of those around me. Much of this concerns that fateful night when I was barely two years old when a terrible accident occurred, that would scar (and empower) me for life. Of humble origins in Jordan, I was born and raised for several years in a small village where people had little option but to boil water with great frequency in primitive conditions. No matter what precautions were taken, accidents occurred. One snowy night when conditions were especially difficult the boiling water spilled all over my leg; as a result, my first and most vibrant memories are of terrible, sustained, and enduring pain. My foundational awareness of pain and suffering helps me empathize with my patients and empathize-find special joy in alleviating their pain and discomfort.
In my small village in Jordan, women do much embroidery work. I began learning as a toddler—decorating fabric using tiny needles to apply colorful thread. Thus, there has been a conceptual continuity throughout my life. Finding enjoyment in intricate work in small spaces is one of the reasons why I became a dentist. My heart is invested in the details of a complete aesthetic filling or how to capture the most incredible detail in my prosthetic work impressions. I was the only one in my class who finished the long conservative course clinic requirements list. I remember my prosthodontics supervisor telling me after delivering the complete denture for one of my patients that this was the first time, he saw a patient happy and laughing as much as this, despite the lengthy processing appointments for dentures and the complications this patient faced as an older adult. This made me immensely proud because it’s exactly what I want to be, the dentist who does not only treat the oral cavity but one who treats patients holistically, providing them with the most incredible comfort possible.
Working as a Dental Assistant in one of New England’s busiest dental offices has helped me come a long way in providing optimal dental services for every one of the vast diversity of patients that pass through our doors. We treat the poor and the rich the same, laboring each day to provide the best treatment possible to all adults, children, the elderly, and patients with special needs – many, if not most, at a discount price they can afford.
Two months after working as a Dental Assistant, I received a letter from one of our patients expressing her gratitude. I was so happy, and at the same time, I was shocked because I did only what everyone should do, treat all patients with mercy and empathy. I did what I do daily with every patient, doing my best to understand their needs, concerns, and stories, then educating them concerning what they need to know. I am pleased that I have recently been chosen to begin serving as the lead assistant.
I also plan to start a preceptorship at XXX University this coming August, seeking to broaden my experience concerning dental education in the USA. I have met many challenges in my dental journey, and I owe great thanks to my hero husband and supportive family, who stand behind me 100%. I passed both boards while pregnant, and we now have two daughters, aged 2 and 3. Someday in the not-so-distant future, I envision my daughters helping me with decorations and public relations when I begin my dental practice.
Thank you for considering my application.
Foreign-Trained Dentist Dental Assistant CAAPID
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