20 December 2013
Smiles all round as Shona wins dental skills heat
Picture shows Shona receiving her prize from competition judge Martin Donachie, a Fellow of the RCSEd.
Final-year student Shona Hamlet will represent the University of Dundee at a UK-wide dental clinical skills competition
to be held at The Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh (RCSEd) in March after beating off competition from her classmates.
Shona (22) won first place at the local heat of the competition, which took place at the University's School of Dentistry.
She and her fellow students were challenged to demonstrate their skills by performing challenging clinical procedures.
Organised by RCSEd and sponsored by DENTSPLY, this dental clinical skills competition is the first of its kind in the UK
and heats have been held at 14 of the UK's dental schools. The top student from each heat will have their travel and
accommodation paid to compete in the Grand Final at RCSEd on Thursday, 6th March. The overall winner will receive an
expenses-paid trip to the Chicago Dental Society's Midwinter Meeting in February 2015.
Shona said she was delighted and shocked to have won the Dundee heat, and that the result had boosted her confidence.
'The heat was challenging but enjoyable, and it was a good opportunity to work under pressure and refine the preparation I've
practiced previously,' she said. 'I'm looking forward to the final in Edinburgh though I think the competition will be
tough. It will be great to meet other finalists from dental schools across the country.
'I'd like to think that taking part in the final will hopefully help my career prospects, even if it just gives me
something to talk about which makes me different from other undergraduates. It is a great competition to be a part of and I'm
hoping my clinical skills will improve further while practising for the final.
'Regardless of the outcome, I feel it will have broadened my clinical skills and also enabled me to learn more about
the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh. It is a great opportunity to be affiliated with RCSEd, and it will be exciting
to learn more about the people behind it and how their work will impact my future career.
'I am very excited of the prospect of attending the Dental Society's Midwinter Meeting in Chicago. I can't imagine how it
would feel to win. I have never been to the US before and it would be an incredible opportunity. I'm sure every one of
the finalists will be outstanding, so fingers crossed and may the best candidate win!'
Professor Richard Ibbetson, Dean of RCSEd's Faculty of Dental Surgery, said, 'RCSEd's Faculty of Dental Surgery is
dedicated to providing training opportunities for aspiring dentists and we are therefore delighted to have launched
this competition to give the next generation of dentists an occasion to showcase their dental knowledge and skills
in this UK-wide competition.
'For the last two years RCSEd ran a similar competition for medical students with surgical career aspirations
which was a huge success, so we hope final year dental students will find taking part in this unique dental competition
useful and beneficial to their career ambitions.'
The Grand Final of the competition will be followed by a dinner in the 500-year-old Edinburgh College at which
presentations will be made to the winner and two runners-up. All participants in the competition will receive a
certificate of participation and a year's Affiliation with RCSEd.
Olivier Collet, DENTSPLY UK Dental Division Vice President and General Manager, said, 'We are delighted to be working
with the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh (RCSEd) and supporting the Clinical Skills Competition.
'It is a valuable opportunity for students to demonstrate their skills within a competitive environment and compare
results with their peers as well as a welcome chance for students to interact with DENTSPLY representatives.
We very much look forward to observing the students putting the knowledge they have gained during their studies
into practice."
For further information about the Dental Clinical Skills Competition please visit www.rcsed.ac.uk/dental-skills-comp
or contact outreach@rcsed.ac.uk
For further information:
Aoife O'Sullivan | Marketing and Communications Officer | 0131 527 1593 | a.osullivan@rcsed.ac.uk
About The Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh
RCSEd was incorporated as the Barber Surgeons of Edinburgh in 1505, and is one of the oldest surgical corporations
in the world. It has some 22,000 Fellows and Members in almost 100 countries worldwide. The College promotes the
highest standards of surgical and dental practice through its examinations, and is also increasingly involved in the
provision of surgical and dental training and education.
About Dentsply
For nearly 200 years, Dentsply have been partnering with the dental profession and investing in research and development
to launch market leading products including Spectrum, ProTaper, Sani-Tip, Prime&Bond NT, Cavitron, Dyract eXtra and
Chemfil Superior to name a few. It is their belief that the small things they do when they develop quality dental products
can make a big difference to your working day in practice, and also to the exacting standards of care which you in turn
provide to your patients. Through their constant attention to detail they strive to help shape the future of dentistry
with a focus on making working life easier and helping you to achieve patient satisfaction.
For media enquiries contact:
Grant Hill
Press Officer
University of Dundee
Nethergate, Dundee, DD1 4HN
TEL: 01382 384768
E-MAIL: g.hill@dundee.ac.uk
MOBILE: 07854 953277 |
