An experienced dentist from Iran, now making my home in the USA, I am working towards completing a DDS Program at the XXXX School of Dentistry. My first love is Endodontics; thus, I hope to be accepted to a residency position in this area and begin shortly after earning my DDS Degree from XXXX. I married a wonderful woman who is a pharmacist and came to the USA in 2015. Since then, I have worked as a dental assistant and shadowed dentists prior to beginning my DDS program to prepare for my application to Endodontics residency programs.
I am assisting with two endodontics research projects under the supervision of two highly experienced endodontist professors at XXXX. I am extremely passionate about my chosen specialty in dentistry and highly motivated to continue to engage in lifelong learning, research, and practice in this area. I particularly enjoyed taking a rigorous, advanced endodontics course as part of my program here at XXXX, which has left me hungry to return to focus on Endodontics and delve into increasingly complicated and challenging cases and scenarios. I am most pleased that endodontics faculties are encouraging students to focus more on endodontic treatments, and I could not be more enthused about the prospect of making this my life’s work. Thus, while still a DDS student, I seek as much time studying and practicing endodontics as possible, which will help me hit the ground running in your program.
I could not be happier with my chosen profession, dentistry, which has brought me many profound rewards and beautiful experiences as a dentist in my native Iran - where I finished dental school and gained valuable experience before immigrating to the USA. Here in America, I strive to advance in my field and give my all to oral health care. My professional nature and ethics inspire me to devote myself to saving rather than replacing teeth. My conservative philosophy of dentistry also dovetails nicely with my desire to be of exceptional service to the underserved in the future. I hope to open a nonprofit dental clinic focusing on patients with mental health challenges, the homeless, and others with special needs, particularly children – serving my community. By becoming a board-certified endodontist and a leader in my field, equipped with the skills to perform complex surgical and non-surgical root canal procedures using innovative techniques and instrumentation, I can make sound treatment planning decisions for all my patients by current best practices using evidence-based sources.
I first considered dentistry a future career path when I was a teenager and spent much of my free time observing my sister, a dentist, and her husband, an endodontist. They own a clinic, and I watched with amazement how their patients came in pain and left smiling, witnessing their close relationships with their patients. As a student in dental school in Iran, I volunteered at their office and learned a great deal early on about Endodontics.
After graduating from dental school in Iran in 2010, I practiced dentistry for two years in a marginalized area with little access to a dentist for most people. I next opened my private practice in Shiraz while continuing to serve at two other dental clinics. I chose to open my private practice because I was fascinated with the business aspects of dentistry and the prospect of managing a team. In my practice, the receptionist, assistant, and I worked as a team to provide a range of dental services, and we only had satisfied clients because we gave our all.
My great enthusiasm for Endodontics was further reinforced in Iran by volunteering twice a week at a local charity, providing dental services for disabled and mentally challenged children. I did this for over three years, always laboring to save their natural teeth. Working with children with specialized needs was challenging due to unintended movements, drooling, anxiety, etc. However, after much trial and error, I maintained a high quality of care by holding the child gently, always talking to them, and keeping them entertained the whole time.
Thank you for your consideration of my application.
Immigrant to Endodontics Residency Personal Statement
