As we get ready to welcome our second cohort of 2024 onto both courses, we’re sitting down with Dr. Eugenia from our faculty to hear what she believes makes learning at the London Dental Institute such a rewarding step for your career: our 1:1 case support.
In other news this month, students continued their studies with new module releases and Live Study Club events held over Zoom.
Catch up on the latest news from the LDi below.
Dr. Eugenia Explains 1:1 Case-Support
One of the key parts of a Diploma at the LDi is the opportunity to take on new patients immediately, offering orthodontic or restorative treatments under the guidance of your tutors.
This provides students the lucrative opportunity to immediately begin offering these treatments, recuperating their investment, sharing their experiences, and building their skills in clinical practice.
But how does 1:1 case support work? We sat down with Dr. Eugenia, a tutor on the Orthodontics Diploma, who explained.
How does case support on the VLE work?
In the VLE platform, students can upload their own cases and ask for guidance from their tutors and other students.
Every [case] is interesting to us, since it gives us the chance to evaluate together the diagnosis and a possible treatment plan. I always remind the students not to be shy: they can upload real patients, or also their family members, their dental assistant, their friends… Every new patient in the case support forum is an opportunity for us to learn and discuss orthodontics. Moreover, students can read and learn from all the previous discussions with their colleagues.
[When] the treatment starts, students can upload pictures of all the stages of the treatment so that we can follow the therapy step by step till the end, giving suggestions and ideas. Doing so, even if the student is still inexperienced, [they] will never feel alone or insecure.
In your experience, how do students learn from the 1:1 case support as they progress through the course?
I notice that, as students progress through the course, their skills in the diagnostic process improve very fast, and they can focus more on the treatment, [suggesting] possible solutions and ideas.
It is very stimulating to see that things that we study in theory through the course and modules really happen in the practice, so if we set a proper diagnosis and plan an accurate and detailed therapy via case support, the treatment goes very smooth and straightforward.
Learning from real patients speeds up orthodontic knowledge, and it remains more etched in the memory, so experience grows really fast.
How do you manage all the students on the course? How do you deliver individual support even when there are 30 students on the course?
Together with other tutors, we try to connect everyday, not to make students wait too long for answers and suggestions about their patients. We try to manage every case with the maximum attention and care, understanding the students’ request and the patients’ will.
We always think as if that patient were our own, as what we can do to make them happy and satisfied. In addition to that, we focus on the possible difficulties that the orthodontist may encounter, anticipating the doubt and the tricks that are hidden behind every malocclusion.
Tell us about the most memorable case you have seen on the VLE – what made it special/interesting?
I am an emotional person, so the most memorable cases to me are the ones the student was particularly attached to.
For example, one student asked for help with the treatment of his own children, who were his first orthodontic patients. I followed step by step the treatments till the end of it, and after that, I felt a little part of his children’s amazing smiles! Another student uploaded his sister, and again, it was fantastic to be part of their family’s journey!
When an orthodontist loves their job and is keen on solving the patient’s issue, their enthusiasm becomes mine too, and it is always a personal goal to have a successful outcome.
Dr. Raffaelli is a clinical tutor and lecturer at LDi, teaching the Diploma in Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopaedics. She is a member of the LDi team as a clinical tutor and lecturer, sharing her knowledge in webinars and hosting Live Study Clubs on Clinical Case Studies.
LEARN MORE ABOUT STUDYING FOR A DIPLOMA
Last Call For May Enrolment
If you’re joining us this Friday, 31st May, for our next cohort, then we’re thrilled to be welcoming you.
Alongside 1:1 case support and a world-class faculty, our Diplomas offer:
- Comprehensive syllabi designed for the GDP
- Practical hands-on training and a FREE Practical Kit
- Immediate opportunities to offer new treatments to your patients
- Flexible 24/7 study
- A UK-accredited Level 7 Diploma qualification
If you’d like to join us this week, there’s still time to do so. Reserve your space using the link below.
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