HALIFAX, NOVA SCOTIA | CANADA B3H 4R2 | +1 (902) 494-2824
Jennie Park, DDS |
 "The Pediatric General Practice Residency at the IWK has been put together with great consideration for the range of experiences a practitioner would require to enable them to function competently in a hospital setting. The residency allowed for me to have experience in critical situations by providing an opportunity to complete the Pediatric Advanced Life Support course early in training, thus providing me with a greater degree of confidence while treating medically compromised children, children under sedation, and in the operating room. This experience was complimentary to training I received during my general anesthesia rotation. Cardiology, Oncology, Developmental Clinic, and Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery rotations allowed for both a greater understanding of these medical specialties, and for an improved understanding of how the departments function within a tertiary care centre. All of my rotations placed me in close contact with specialists in their respective fields that have often been recognized at the international level. There is a significant teaching aspect to the program that allowed me to supervise the clinical pediatric dentistry course in an undergraduate setting, and gave me the opportunity to act as a role model during the undergraduate rotations at the hospital, thus helping solidify the knowledge I had already obtained. Finally, the staff at the IWK Dental Department, both attending pediatric dentists and auxiliary staff provided for a positive learning environment by providing constructive feedback on a regular basis to build on past experience. Overall, the residency at the IWK gave me a great foundation to build upon as I move forward toward completing a pediatric dentistry residency program. All of the experiences I have mentioned, and those I have not, for example emergency call, journal review, and research, have given me the background knowledge such that I can get more from my continuing education. I would recommend this residency to both dentists considering general dentistry with a child component, with or without a hospital component, and those who wish to pursue pediatric dentistry as a specialty."
Terry Farquhar, DDS |
"I was the first resident in the Paediatric General Dental Residency Program at Dalhousie University. My goal was to get accepted into a paediatric dentistry specialty program after completion of the residency program. The residency program not only operates well as a stand alone program, allowing the student to feel more comfortable as a new dentist gaining experience with children in a hospital environment while still being under supervision, the residency also is an excellent preparation for entrance into a pediatric dental specialty program. I can’t think of how many times my experiences in the residency program, whether in clinic or on rotations (anaesthesia, cardiology, oncology) saved me in the pediatric specialty program. Regular treatment of children under GA allows for rapid improvement in operative dentistry skills and is an excellent opportunity to ask the attendings treatment specific questions that may make a conscious patient uneasy – e.g. Dr.X, this is my first pulpotomy, how do I know if I removed all of the coronal pulp? All of the attending dentists are experienced instructors both in undergraduate dentistry and with the residency program and sincerely interested in the resident’s success. Lastly (but not least), the support staff at the hospital dental department are a great resource with many years of experience behind them."
Dr. Jill Oxner |
"The IWK Pediatric GPR was a great experience. The procedures I performed in the dental clinic and operating room allowed me to become confident in treating children of all ages and adults with special needs. Through practice, I became skilled at behavior guidance, multiple modes of sedation, and utilizing a general anesthetic. I was given the opportunity to spend numerous weeks in different departments (ex: anesthesia, oncology) to experience a broader scope of the challenges faced by the medical patients seen by our department. Invaluable opportunities were given for us to work at camps, attend various lectures, and courses. I especially enjoyed teaching the dental school students, both in their Dalhousie clinic and in their outreach school clinics. I had multiple educational projects to complete that kept my mind stimulated and knowledgeable on current dental research. Above all, the Dentistry staff (Docs, assistants, clerical booking staff) were an incredible