News for members of the American Student Dental Association

August 2014

6 simple ways... to manage time effectively

By Alexandra Pierre-Bez, Midwestern-AZ '17, ASDA Chicago Administrative Extern

Between didactic courses, pre-clinic or clinic and other activities, dental school often requires us to complete lengthy to-do lists in a very limited amount of time. Time management is essential for academic, professional and personal success. Use these steps to get the most out of your days.

Make a list. Daily, weekly and monthly goals should be recorded. This helps you visualize what you need to accomplish and gives you a place to start when creating a schedule. This agenda can be as detailed or basic as you prefer. Use it for school assignments and other tasks (ex: meetings, chores or even reminders for rent or credit card payments).

Prioritize. Designate an order of importance to each component of your list, while taking upcoming deadlines into account. If a test is near or a project is due, move it to the top of the list.

Create a timeline. Organize tasks based on priority. Recognize time constraints and be realistic with expectations. Its' better to overestimate the time that an assignment will require to complete.

Edit but don't stray too far from your goals. If something takes longer than planned, change your schedule. Move onto your next task and see where you can shorten elsewhere to allocate time to finish what you've started.

Keep track of completed tasks. When you've finished an item on your list, be sure to cross it off or highlight it. Using a highlighter enables you to easily review everything you've accomplished over a certain period of time, and will help you realize how productive you are. It may also aid you in recognizing how you could've allotted time differently, to improve your planning in the future.

Stay up-to-date. Check class schedules, ASDA event schedules or anything related to your personal interests regularly to ensure your planner is accurate. If you don't anticipate changes, it may be difficult to adjust your schedule at the last minute.

Member and faculty spotlight

Meet this month's student and faculty member to learn their unique hobbies, reasons for pursuing dentistry and more. Click here for their full profiles.

Lindsey Mikkelsen

Nebraska '15, executive vice president

Favorite ASDA benefit: The chance to meet future colleagues in dentistry at district and national meetings. I think that networking with peers is important and it is always a good time. It's good to know that there are many other people across the country who are experiencing the same sorts of things in dental school. Read more

Stephen J Stefanac, DDS, M.S.
Senior Associate Dean and Associate Dean for Patient Services, University of Michigan

What made you pursue a career in dentistry? My family dentist was a strong role model and provided encouragement. I loved working with my hands and serving people. Read more

NLC speakers help attendees overcome obstacles

ASDA's National Leadership Conference is Oct. 31-Nov. 2 in Chicago. Opening and closing keynote speakers will share stories of achieving massive change, boosting non-verbal interaction and routing uncertainty:

Adam Braun

Adam Braun, founder of Pencils of Promise, will share how small steps can open hundreds of doors. Learn how one idea and a small investment led to the building of 200 schools.
Vanessa Van Edwards, lead investigator at Science for People, will teach attendees how to decode body language and form a deeper patient/caregiver bond.
Roger Crawford, Hall of Fame Division 1 athlete, will talk about using optimism to conquer obstacles.

There are more than 30 sessions taking place at NLC. Download the agenda. For full session descriptions, to build a custom schedule and to see who else is attending, download the free NLC mobile app. Register by Sept. 27 at ASDAnet.org/NLC.

ASDA selects Ryan Turner Memorial Scholarship recipient

Lydia Lancaster, Ohio State '16, was chosen by the ASDA Board of Trustees as the recipient of the 2014 Ryan Turner Memorial Scholarship. Lydia will be awarded $2,500 and funding to attend ASDA's National Leadership Conference in Chicago Oct. 31-Nov.2. Read more here.

Mouthing Off blog post: "How I transferred dental schools"

Third year dental student Lynn Miller explains her journey and what led her to transfer dental schools within ASDA's District 9. Head over to ASDA's blog, Mouthing Off, to read Lynn's post and more.

Baylor ASDA students at ASDA Annual Session in 2014.

Lifehack Week on Mouthing Off

Next week is Lifehack Week on Mouthing Off! We'll post 5x next week on topics to help you start the new school year right. Here are some topics you won't want to miss:

how to spend your time (but not your money) outside of dental school
apps to help you through school
snacking and oral health
workouts for dental students
advice from a D3

Subscribe at ASDAblog.com so you don't miss a post.

ALS ice bucket challenge chills ASDA chapters

ASDA chapters are not exempt from the viral ice bucket challenge sweeping social networking sites. The Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Association (ALSA) created the challenge to raise awareness and donations to support their mission of ending ALS and supporting patients and their families. See ASDA chapters accept the challenge and nominate their friends:

JIACD seeks articles on implant dentistry

The Journal of Implant and Advanced Clinical Dentistry is accepting original articles with an implant and advanced clinical dentistry focus. To contribute to the publication, see the author guidelines.

ADA Foundation Student Research Award applications due Dec. 5

The ADA Foundation has begun accepting applications for the Dr. Ray Bowen Student Research Award. The award of up to $6,000 recognizes outstanding and innovative student research in operative dentistry. The recipient will report their findings at the 2016 annual meeting of the Academy of Operative Dentistry. Learn about this and other opportunities from ADA Foundation.

Benefit of the month: free CE from Dr. Bicuspid

DrBicuspid.com provides daily dental news and education for the dental industry. ASDA members receive a complimentary unlimited CE subscription for one year on all the courses in the DrBicuspid.com CE library. The library offers more than 110 courses that cover: