How Specialist Dental Practice Membership can help your dental career

How Specialist Dental Practice Membership can help your dental career

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I completed my undergraduate dental degree in South Africa. Therefore, as a foreign-trained dentist, I had to undertake the Australian Dental Council examinations to gain registration to practice in Australia.

With the understanding that successful completion of the RACDS Primary Dental Sciences (PDS) Examination was a prerequisite to applying for specialist study programs, I decided to enrol in the RACDS Orientation Course. This preparatory course equipped me with the fundamentals needed in the basic health sciences. I completed the Primary Dental Sciences (PDS) Examination successfully and decided to complete the Fellowship in General Dental Practice (GDP) examination, believing that it would stand me in better stead when competing with other candidates to enrol in a specialist program.

Following successful completion of the Fellowship Examination in General Dental Practice, FRACDS (GDP), I applied for the D. Clin Dent in Endodontics at the University of Adelaide, which I completed in 2017. When the opportunity for recognition of Membership in Specialist Dental Practice was presented, I successfully applied for this.

During my journey with the College, I have found that attending the workshops for both the Primary Dental Sciences and Fellowship examinations, meetings and the Convocations enabled me to meet and have a rapport with many like-minded, motivated colleagues, and now friends. I also had the opportunity to be a member of the RACDS SA/NT Regional Committee, thereby contributing back to the College that has given me so much.

If like me, you believe that success is the amalgamation (pardon the pun) of opportunity and preparation, then undertaking further study through the College for professional development, recognition and greater career prospects is an easy decision. Remember opportunities don’t happen, you create them, so take that first step and join the RACDS.


Dr Deon Naicker

BDS (WITS), Postgrad Dip. Clin Dent (UWC), DClinDent (Endo)(Adel),
FRACDS(GDP), MRACDS(Endo)

 

 

 

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