Student Spotlight (Brooke O’Gwin)
Meet Brooke O’Gwin. Brooke attended Practical Dental Assisting in 2013 and she was hired quickly after graduating. Below you will find her story about becoming a dental assistant. We love hearing about the success of our students after they leave and we wanted to start sharing their stories with you.
Why did you chose to go into dental assisting?-
“I chose dental assisting because I had recently married my husband Zane and I needed a good job to help support our little family, and put him through college. I wanted something I would enjoy, something I could afford, and something I could accomplish relatively quickly. Dental assisting was particularly appealing for several reasons. First, I knew it was a job I could maintain as a mother, and one I felt my future children could respect. Second, there is a wide variety of responsibilities as a dental assistant, promising to keep me interested throughout the day. Also, after years of working with people solely over the phone, I relished the idea of getting to interact with others, patients and co-workers.
Why did you chose Practical Dental Assisting over other schools?
“I chose to attend Practical Dental Assisting after looking into several different accelerated programs. After touring one or two different facilities, I was given a tour of PDA and immediately felt comfortable. Caybree was so friendly, and I could tell she loved her job. I loved the small class sizes, knowing I would get individual attention. The fact that PDA offered an office management course was also important to me, since I was interested in the possibility of being a dental office manager as well.”
Where are you now? “I am now working at a general dentist office, Gentle Dental Arts, in Orem Utah. I graduated from PDA in mid December, and was hired in early February. I ended up applying to an office manager position that was posted on KSL. I interviewed with the Doctor, who owns the practice, as well as the lead hygienist. They both mentioned that the fact I had attended dental assisting school was the main reason they selected to interview me. They loved the idea that although I was interviewing for office work, I could also transition into the back and assist if necessary. After a week or so I received a call informing me that the current office manager decided to stay longer than they originally planned, but that they wanted to hire me anyway to be an assistant to the hygienist, doctor, and office manager. I spent several months doing a little bit of everything, and when the office manager eventually moved as originally planned, I took her place.”
“The knowledge, skills, and confidence I gained from attending PDA are without a doubt the reason I have my job today. Although there is always more to learn once you are hired, my experience at PDA really helped me transition comfortably into the position I hold today. And I still jump from the front desk to the back to assist on a crazy day.”
“I am so grateful I decided to go into dental assisting/dental office management. I have a wonderful job, and I love the people I work with.”
Brooke we are so proud of you!! You are amazing!!!
