Student Self Analysis

Dental Interview and Self Analysis
By a Third Year Dental Student, Columbia University School of Dental and Oral Surgery

Overall, I believe that my interview went very well. I smiled a lot and I made good eye contact. I think that my patient felt more and more comfortable to talk to me as the interview continued. I did not pass judgment on anything he said, which led to the establishment of good rapport, as well as trust on his part. I gave him positive reinforcement when it was appropriate to encourage the dialog of communication. I tried to always keep the conversation going without looking at my chart too much, knowing what questions to ask him with out looking down every time I asked him something new. This seemed to give him confidence in my ability to treat him. I let him know that I was interested in him and our conversation. In the end, I obtained all the pertinent information I needed and I think the patient had an overall good experience, as evidenced by his non-verbal communication (smile, handshake, head nod) of approval and trust.
During the interview, he did not tell me all the necessary information. I think that he may have felt uncomfortable saying certain things in front of the camera. I also realize that I may not have given him the opportunity to elaborate on his explanations. I accepted his answers with out getting more specific and moved onto the next question very quickly. I could have asked him to provide more detail. For example, he did not tell me enough about his smoking habit during our interview. When I asked him if he smoked, he said that he had stopped a few months earlier. After the video he told me that in order to stop smoking, he started to eat a lot of candy. Consequently, he had recently developed multiple caries. When he told me that he stopped smoking, I think it is good that I complimented him for his difficult accomplishment, but I should have asked more questions as to how he stopped. I also should have encouraged him more to not start smoking again.
Another glitch in my interview is that I may have looked surprised and said “oh” too many times. I also said “ok” repeatedly and I should be sensitive not to sound dismissive of him. When I was going through his chart, I was a little sloppy fumbling with it. I could have been more prepared and read through the medical forms before he sat down.

Additionally, when I asked him if he flossed and he did not know what floss was, I should not have continued with an explanation, and I should have just shown him a piece of floss. After the interview, I realized that I could have made him feel badly that he did not know what I was referring to. Nevertheless, a good point of the interview was that I asked him if he flosses and brushes his teeth instead of assuming that he does, and asking him how many times a day he did so.

To view a video clip of this interview, click here.