5. Changes to my study programme

Hello everyone!!, I hope you are well and that this end of the semester is not being so difficult for each of you. As you can see in the title, today I will talk about something very interesting that corresponds to what changes I would make in my study program.

Throughout this blog I will address several others regarding this topic. First of all I will refer to the curriculum or the materials to study, where I think there are some classes that contain many topics within them and what they could do is distribute each of them by semester. For example, there is a course called Scientific and clinical bases for diagnosis that corresponds to a semester course, that is, we take it both the first and second semesters, which deals with different topics such as biochemistry, microbiology, physiology, pathology, surgery, among others. My proposal for change would be that it would not include all these topics in a single branch, and that each topic would become a branch that would teach half of them one semester and half of the other contents the other semester.

And in relation to other courses, such as evidence-based dentistry (which is also a semester course) I would personally change it for another topic, however I also understand why the university teaches this course, since the area of research is quite relevant. In fact, several professors who teach classes are developing research processes in different areas.

Regarding the workload and duration of the studies, at first I felt as a student that the load was heavy, and obviously I compared it with the academic load of the school, which was less and different, since there were more courses, however in the university is the other way around, there are fewer courses but the academic load is greater. Despite that, I got used to it, so to speak, and it is also understood that at the beginning of the semester the academic load is lower compared to the end of the semester. In spite of all this, the classes still try to organize themselves as much as possible so that we do not have so many evaluations in a week, and in cases where that is not the case, we talk with the teacher in charge in order to change the date once evaluation or extend the deadline in the case of a job. Basically, I wouldn't make any major changes around this topic, maybe because I'm already used to it.

Regarding the facilities of the faculty, I can say that I would make big changes, for example I would build more classrooms, because basically for 6 generations in total, having 6 classrooms (in which I have been at least) is very little for all this amount of people, to the point of having to change rooms because we ran into schedules with another generation. I would also make changes around the casino, since at lunchtime basically between officials, teachers and students we have to fight to sit down and sit at a table, since the number of people is much greater than the capacity that the casino can accommodate, therefore this should be expanded. I would also (and lastly, since I could elaborate on this point) I would be making changes to the dental student center space, which we were informed of a few months ago that a remodel was underway in conjunction with Colgate for this location, which It is quite necessary since the place is not in optimal conditions.

Regarding the use of technology, the university leaves a lot to say, especially in preclinical, where the facilities compared to other universities are much less technological. For example, our simulated patients correspond to wooden heads...which is quite far from what we will face when we are already in the clinic, which I have also heard leaves a lot to be desired. In addition, whenever we are in preclinical it happens that some work station fails and we have to be calling the technician to repair this. Therefore, I feel that the university should innovate regarding the use of technology, since in general it is quite far behind on this point.

Finally, regarding the teaching method in the vast majority of classes, it is usually the same, which is quite standard, that is, classes are given and we have to study them. However, in a course called simulations for professional practice, which is also a semester course, the teaching method around the practical that they give you depends to a large extent on which teacher is your tutor, since some have more didactics to teach you, however others do not have it, or also some have more experience than others. As a student I have noticed that some are governed a lot around a guideline, while others do not, and that is still based on the personality of each one. Although personally, I would like everyone to be given a teaching method, the truth is that this is quite difficult due to what has been explained above.

Imagen of university hall.

Image of dental clinic.

Image of the preclinical table with the instrument placed.

Image of simulated patient with absolute isolation performing restoration with composite resin.

4. Time travel to the future

Hi everyone!, hoping you are well, today I come to comment on a very interesting topic, which we have all thought about more than once, which is traveling to the past or future.

In my case I chose to travel to the future, because trips to the past are very problematic, that is, they generate paradoxes and can make effects happen before causes. If this could be done, the least of our problems would be humans wanting to kill people who did a lot of harm throughout human history. The real problem would be the elementary particles, which would be constantly moving back and forth in time. Therefore, reality would be a chaos of microscopic interactions in which it would be impossible to distinguish causes and effects, and the result would be an unpredictable and disordered universe.In short, trips to the past are a bad idea. Instead, trips to the future could be made eventually.

I would like to travel 200 or 300 years into the future, more than anything to see what level of technological advance we have had. Regarding the place, I doubt that I would choose a specific place, so I would stay in Chile I guess, since I would know about the advances in the world through the media anyway or I could travel to different countries to live that experience.

Where and how will we live in the future? It is evident that urbanization is the trend today. More than half of the world's population already lives in cities, and in the coming years this figure will increase. This means that in the future more and more people will live in increasingly restricted spaces. Not only does this have an impact on the future design of housing in cities, but also the tendency towards individualism of city dwellers will play an important role.

It is said that the living space will get smaller and smaller, while there will be more spaces or places to share or use for different functions. This promotes the growing trend towards a communal and sharing culture. As a consequence, the cities of the future will be characterized by skyscrapers and neighborhoods that will combine both private and shared spaces.

On the other hand, urban agriculture will become important in the future, as it will make it possible to produce food wherever people will live in the future. Whether in greenhouses on the roofs of skyscrapers, in old warehouses, industrial halls or in specially built vertical farms, the agriculture of the future no longer only takes place on the surface, but also in the air and can also do without the earth and sunlight.

In addition, it is very likely that the meat that is consumed does not come from live animals due to its possible scarcity and preservation, and therefore comes from a laboratory. Even today some companies like Beyond Meat are experimenting with test tube steaks.

Smart toilets, mirrors, and toothbrushes will monitor our health and give us recommendations on how to balance the nutrients we lack in our diet. In this way and according to our smart home connected to the network, after finding a specific deficiency, our toilet can communicate with our refrigerator or kitchen appliance choosing the right food for us and thus compensate for the deficiency.

Our home will be full of high technology, as well as our workplace will also be connected to the network and will be intelligent.

How will we work in the future? Office design will become more flexible and individual, and there will also be a work environment for each job. With the help of advanced technology, offices will be connected to the network and also smart, from smart windows that regulate heat and light, to finding and personalizing a desk with the help of interactive screens through smartphone applications, and even organize virtual meetings with simultaneous translations in each language.

The truth is that it is possible to cover many aspects of what the future could be like, therefore I could be writing infinite possibilities.

If they ask me to stay in the future to which I travel, I would say no, since I would not be able to adapt to such a technological lifestyle, however, it is possible that I will learn from them relatively quickly. Also, I couldn't leave my present behind, because of the people around me who I love very much and I don't think I can leave behind.

3. My dream job

Hi everyone!!, I hope you are well, I am here to talk about my dream job.

As some know from past blogs, I am studying dentistry at the University of Chile's dental school, therefore the type of job that I would like to have within the options that the dentistry career gives you (as you can guess) is related to people's oral care. In the future I imagine, together with some school friends who also study dentistry (but at other universities), partnering to create our own clinic, which is something that we established from the moment we knew that we were going to study the same career. And hopefully each of us has different specialties to be a complete team.

The dentist needs a variety of different qualities and skills to be able to practice his profession successfully and also to limit the discomfort of the patient in the consultation. Some principles that must be had are the ability to perform tasks, leadership skills, organizational skills, patience, problem-solving skills, knowing how to work in a team, communication skills, among others.

Regarding the salary, I can say that it is quite well paid, however, as in all professions, it will depend on several factors such as whether you work independently or in your own office, years of experience, specialty, among others.

As I mentioned at the beginning, I am in my second year studying dentistry. Since I was little I knew what I wanted because I liked the idea of ​​caring for patients, being a professional in the health area, and the truth is that at the beginning this career was not very present in my options until once a relative who He is a dentist and he began to comment, explain and show me what the career consisted of. I remember that he showed me before and after photos of a patient undergoing treatment, and he also told me that the most gratifying thing was that the patients thanked you for all the work and effort to improve their aesthetics as well as to relieve their pain or discomfort. Therefore, from that moment I was motivated to study this beautiful career.

2. My Best Vacation Ever

Hello bloggers, hoping you are well, after a week I come back to write a new blog, which this time will be about the best vacations I've had so far.

In 2018 (pre-pandemic time) while I was in my penultimate year at school, during the month of September, specifically on winter vacations, I traveled to Italy, specifically to Rome with my parents. I have to say that the country and date to go were not things that were chosen at random, since years before my father went to Italy for work, specifically to Milan, and since then he wanted the 3 of us to go, and also my family on the paternal side they have their origins in that country. My grandparents always told us what Italy was like, and they also encouraged us to go, so when the opportunity arose, we traveled there. And regarding the date, as Chile at that time usually has a cold climate, while in Italy it is usually very hot, so it seemed to us a perfect climate to go sightseeing.

We were in Italy for 2 weeks staying in a hotel, which was a perfect time to do all the activities we had planned. Below I will comment on some of my places that I visited (the truth is difficult to choose, since I liked all the places)

One of the places I visited was the Roman Colosseum, which is one of the most famous monuments in the world. In fact, it corresponds to a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the new seven wonders of the modern world. I remember that we arrived at this place at noon and the first thing we did was walk around it externally, turning around to appreciate all the details of the construction, and to be able to see how well preserved it is despite the years, which is quite surprising. In any case, over time certain parts of the construction have been falling, such as the upper area. Despite this, I personally feel that this gives it an artistic design. Then, to explore the interior you have two options, you can enter with a guide or without one, with my family we decided to visit the area of ​​the galleries without one, but anyway they gave us a recorder that had several languages, which told you different characteristics of the Colosseum and also of its history. When we finished our tour of the gallery area, at a certain time we met with a group and a guide to tour the underground, having the opportunity to see behind the scenes of the show that took place in the arena space.

Roman Colosseum

Another of the places that is among my favorites is the Trevi Fountain. I remember that I liked this place so much that I went twice, first during the day and then at night. Personally, I liked it better to go at night, since it is illuminated and there were also fewer people, therefore it was easier to get closer to the monument and see the beautiful architecture it has. In addition, we already knew the way to get to the fountain, since the first time we went we had a hard time finding it, since in the area where it is located, the streets are quite narrow, since they are part of ancient Rome. Also, obviously throw a coin into the Fountain, which is a tradition to ensure a return to Rome. In fact, this must be done in a special way, since when you throw the coin you must do it over your shoulder, with your back to the source.

Trevi Fountain

Finally, to say that the last monument that I will name was not even within my plans haha. I remember this perfectly, since that day we went to eat ice cream at one of the best ice cream in Rome, which was recommended to me by a friend from school and is located near Piazza Venencia. We were arriving at the ice cream parlor and at that moment I saw (it was impossible not to see it haha) the monument of Vittorio Emanuele, which from an architectural point of view is definitely my favorite of all.

So, we were so curious that when we finished eating the ice cream (which was actually VERY good) we walked to this imposing structure, and while we were there we found out that Vittorio was the first king of the unified Italy and one of the characters most important in the history of Italy. In fact, he was nicknamed the Father of the Nation for his contribution to the unification of the country and for this he was a beloved and respected monarch. This monument is built in white marble and the imposing equestrian sculpture of Vittorio in bronze presides over the ensemble.

Monument of Vittorio Emanuele

As an anecdote to say that inside this monument, you can hardly breathe, since they do not have any type of ventilation, I do not know if it was because it was very hot, the humidity of the environment or because of the construction material. The positive side of this is that we discovered an exit to a balcony, and there we rested for a moment and in fact it was very pleasant to be there, because of the shade, the wind and also because of the beautiful view of Rome.

For me it is one of the best places to visit, especially because of the proximity between one monument and another. Of the European countries that I have known, it is the only one that gives you that facility, which is quite advantageous for us tourists, since it reduces the chances of getting lost.

1. A Country I would like to visit

Hello bloggers, after a long time without posting, I will talk about which country I would like to visit. The truth is that I would like to revisit some of the countries I have already been to, but if I had to choose a new place to visit I would surely say Egypt.

Egypt is a country in Africa, located in its extreme northeast, and includes the Sinai Peninsula. Most of the surface is made up of the Sahara Desert, only inhabited around the oases. Its capital is Cairo. I choose this destination for several reasons: because I will be able to learn more about the history of the Copts, get to know the largest desert in the world, get to know the Nile River, explore and discover the mysteries of ancient Egypt.

What I know about this country is thanks to my mother, who has always dreamed of going there. One of the things I remember being told about Egypt is that it is a land of history and monuments declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, which year after year attracts millions of visitors to discover its ancient past. They say that everyone who goes is amazed by the richness of the archaeological sites of Egypt, in the kingdom of the pharaohs. The Sphinx of Giza, near Cairo, is a well-known example, since it is sculpted on a calcareous outcrop, it represents the pharaoh Khafre and majestically watches over the three pyramids, that is, Cheops, Khafre and Mycerinus.

What I would most like to do when I am in Egypt is to visit the majority of tourist sites, for example visit the pyramids of Giza, which corresponds to one of the 7 wonders of the ancient world that is preserved, where next to them is the always watchful sphinx. Another place that I would like to visit would be Abu Simbel, which is an archaeological zone that stands out for its two rock-cut temples that Pharaoh Ramses II ordered to build in the 13th century BC. C. to commemorate a war victory.

On the other hand, I would like to visit the valley of the kings, which became the cemetery of most of the pharaohs, as well as queens and princes of the time of the new empire, where more than 60 tombs have been found. Finally to say that I would love to go scuba diving in the Red Sea and go on a cruise on the Nile.

I would like to go to study in Egypt, for example, it would be a totally new and enriching experience around the culture, the food, the people, and above all the Arabic language, which is quite different from English or Spanish.

                                                

                                                                                Cairo 

                                              

                                                                        Sahara desert

                                               

                                                               The pyramids of Giza

6. Surgical cap website

Hello again bloggers!, hoping that you are well, this time I will talk about some website that I visit, which is directly related to the career I am studying, which is dentistry, as I told you in past blogs, which is something essential that we must use to carry out our work as students and future dentists.

The page I am referring to is called "koala scrubs", which manufactures exclusive design surgical caps of unsurpassed quality and limited stock in Chile. In addition, it has shipping to regions such as the metropolitan region with an additional cost of purchase.

The truth is that I don't usually visit this page very often, since I only visit it when it is really necessary to buy one or two surgical caps, in case they get damaged.

I quite like this website due to the wide variety of designs it has and also the manufacturing quality of these products. Some of the designs found are professions, anime and comics, series and movies, anatomy, Christmas, sports and hobbies, cartoons and video games, animals and pets, colors, music, camouflage, among others. In fact, I'm already thinking about buying a hat with a "Grogu" design from Star Wars. I will put a link below so you can see it.

I would recommend this page, not only to dental students, but also to all students and workers in the health area who need a quality product that also provides a special touch to their appearance during their tasks.

Here I leave photos and the link of the commented website.

https://www.koalascrubs.cl 

@koalascrubs.cl

5. How can your major make the world a better place?

Hello bloggers, I hope you are well. As you could read in the title I will talk about how I can make the world a better place through my major, how I see myself in the process and how my profession benefits the world. 

As I told you in previous blogs, I am studying dentistry, specifically in my second year at the University of Chile. Dentistry is the medical area dedicated to the study of everything related to the stogmatic apparatus, which is formed by the set of organs and tissues of the oral cavity, and in some areas of the skull, neck and face. This discipline is responsible for protecting people's oral health, preventing and treating oral diseases. The main oral ailments, such as caries, periodontal pathologies or tooth loss, can be prevented by constantly maintaining an adequate routine and oral hygiene and visiting the dentist regularly. 

In this process I hope to become a dental surgeon with the necessary knowledge, skills and competencies to contribute to the population that needs it, thus improving their quality of life, especially the most vulnerable people. Once I get my degree I hope to be able to work in the public sector and also specialize in orthodontics (which is what I like the most so far, we'll see if that holds up along the way haha).I hope to be a professional that people can trust, in having a transversal and not vertical treatment, making the patient participate in their own treatment and also making the technical language a bit more flexible so that the patient understands what I am explaining. And something relevant to note is that beyond a patient suffering from a certain disease, there is a person who is suffering.

The role that the dentist plays in society is extremely important, since as a health professional he is present during all the stages of the human being. The dentist, in addition to diagnosing and treating patients with oral ailments or diseases, has an important role in prevention, where it is important to know and control the social determinants of health. Unfortunately, patients associate going to the dentist when the ailment is unavoidable or in other words, when, for example, the disease such as caries or periodontitis are in very advanced stages. Therefore, it is essential that we as future professionals in the health area reinforce the concepts of prevention and health promotion, which are usually relegated.

I hope you have enjoyed this blog, take care of yourselves and I hope you have a great weekend with your mothers celebrating their day.