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CDS Member News and ArticlesProfessional News Articles : : ON PRACTICE MANAGEMENT by Janyce Hamilton : Mentors: Rock stars for tomorrow’s dentists Mentors: Rock stars for tomorrow’s dentistsSeptember 9, 2009 Chester Klos recalls becoming involved in mentoring because of a simple question accompanying his dues renewal notice from the Chicago Dental Society. It asked: “Would you like to be a mentor?" “Having enjoyed the professional development I myself had experienced in the Army Dental Corps, helping teach someone how to make a life for themselves in their profession sounded very appealing,” Dr. Klos said. “I also recalled the faculty-mentor-student relationship I had the good fortune to experience with Bill Summers, DDS, at Loyola’s Dental School.” With this in mind, Dr. Klos filled out the mentorship application, requesting an Eastern European dental student to mentor because he practices in a Chicago neighborhood highly populated by Polish-speaking residents. That fall Larisa Spirtovic, originally from Bosnia, walked into the CDS Mentorship dinner and met Dr. Klos. Ms. Spirtovic was a little nervous as she had just started dental school that month, but her mentor and the other doctors at the dinner made her and another dental student, Daniela Brzozowski, feel more relaxed, Dr. Klos said, “When Larisa began her clinical work in her sophomore year, she came to my office to observe. She took a real interest and I asked her to be my Saturday dental assistant. We reviewed the Dental Practice Act and determined everything that an assistant can legally do; those became our goals. Saturdays became my favorite day to work; I had an employee who wanted to learn!” They also attended CDS branch meetings and Dental Arts Club meetings. Dr. Brzozowski credits her mentor, John Cassiani, as the “reason I got into dentistry.” As his assistant, Dr. Cassiani encouraged Dr. Brzozowski to get her polishing/sealant certification. “I was hooked when I got to actually work on patients on my own.” Dr. Brzozowski also has an informal mentor relationship with Dr. Klos. After buying a practice two months after graduation, Dr. Brzozowski found more support in mentoring. “Over many Facebook messages he (along with the steadfast advice of Dr. Cassiani) is helping me survive a difficult time as I realize I know nothing about the business of dentistry,” she said. She added that the combined experience of the two dentists is guiding her away from making what she calls “expensive mistakes.” David Baptist, the current liaison for the mentorship program between CDS and the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) College of Dentistry and a past president of the UIC Alumni Board, said Drs. Klos and Cassiani are examples of what the program is all about. “The program is whatever the student wants to make it,” he said. “It’s up to the student to contact the mentor and ask to meet and not to be shy about continuing to initiate contact and explain what they need help with.” Dr. Baptist’s three sons, Joe, Ben, and Brian, all are 2009 graduates of UIC. All had mentors. One was mentored by an endodontist, another by an oral surgeon and a general dentist, and the third by a periodontist. “Now my sons can become mentors,” Dr. Baptist said. In May, Larisa Spirtovic added “Dr.” to her name and joined her mentor’s practice as a part-time associate. “I had a working interview [with her] for almost three years,” said Dr. Klos. Last words of thanks came from a choked-up Dr. Spirtovic right before we hung up the phone: “No words can describe this experience. Every dental student should get a mentor. Mine is a perfect story. I don’t think it could end better.” Janyce Hamilton is an award-winning Chicagoland freelance dental writer and editor. Send suggestions for topics to be covered, or any comments on this column, to review@cds.org. © 2009, Chicago Dental Society |
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