I could not be happier giving my all to advancing my career in dentistry with particular attention to OMFS. Oral Maxillofacial Surgery is the area in which I look forward to someday teaching dentistry here in my country, Saudi Arabia. Thus, I hope to receive advanced training in this area in the USA, the principal world leader in oral surgery, to prepare myself not only for a professional lifetime of service in oral surgery but also for teaching OMFS in Saudi Arabia and working to advance our profession globally, particularly concerning the Middle East.
Construction continues at XXXX University – where I have been serving as a Teaching Assistant in OMF since September of 2016 - for a new hospital targeted to open its doors within the next five years. I look forward to being one of the first oral surgeons to operate in the new facilities and subsequently dividing my time between the hospital and the university, teaching and practicing OMF. This is what I crave most, the fullest, constant, lifelong immersion in OMF. There is an excellent need in Saudi Arabia for highly trained OMF surgeons for several reasons, not the least of which is a remarkably high rate of traffic accidents which often result in incredibly challenging cases for us.
My orientation towards OMF is that of social service, and I see OMF Surgery as about public health, as part of a concern for general oral health. Many people require oral surgery in Saudi Arabia. I will always consider this an area of my responsibility as a citizen of the country, as a human being, and most of all, as a dedicated oral health care professional. Thus, after completing your program and returning to the KSA, I will be building upon the ties that I have already developed and working more extensively alongside or in collaboration with the Saudi Ministry of Health, helping to make oral surgery more available to the masses of ordinary Saudis as well as guest workers and other foreigners living in the Kingdom.
I will never forget the day my professor informed me that I had attained the highest score in my class on our final surgery exam. However, most of this was an evaluation of my hand skills; they were the best in my class. I did not speak the best English among my classmates. However, they got off to an earlier start than I did and had more time to practice. My English skills are the weakest part of applying to your distinguished program. Still, I hope to be accepted for my capacity as a surgeon and my outstanding devotion to research in oral surgery. My listening and speaking skills in English are more advanced than my writing skills. The challenge I face writing with accuracy in English shows in my TOEFL and my inability to pass the NDBE on my first attempt more than a year ago. Soon, however, I look forward to retaking both exams and achieving a higher score that reflects the improvements I have made this past year in my writing ability in English.
I have taken pride in and spent a lot of effort cultivating my conversational English since it is our principal global language. For some time, I have been an avid world traveler, and this has helped me get acquainted with large swaths of the world to supplement my reading. I have always traveled alone. This has also enhanced my global understanding of dentistry, particularly oral surgery, and my appreciation for international solidarity in oral health, getting to know many good-hearted individuals from the Developed World who helping out for three months each in the Philippines and South Africa, with shorter yet significant periods in India, Egypt, Japan, Hong Kong, Sri Lanka, and Turkey. Traveling has made me a better dentist, more multicultural, and more comfortable providing dental care to anyone, even if they do not speak either of my two languages, Arabic or English.
My abilities began to blossom during my internship after completing dental school. By this time, I understood I wanted to specialize in OMF Surgery; thus, I ensured that time was spent in this area as possible (2015 – 2016). I enjoyed my time in ER assisting with complex emergency surgeries: intermaxillary fixation, placing scores in the maxilla, authoring the post-operative report and the follow-up, etc. I also enjoyed meeting with the team each morning. I fondly reflect on this period of my professional life when I first began to get deeply involved in and experience intense joy from research in oral surgery – leading to my first publication.
Thank you for considering my application for advanced training in OMF Surgery.
OMFS Residency Personal Statement Help