Ryan McCormick, Oregon '19

My favorite part of second year has been patient care. At OHSU starting spring term of second year, we get our own comprehensive care patients which has been a great experience. We also have had a lot of time this year to hang out in clinic and get great patient experiences.
 
The biggest difference between first and second year is that in second year, we spend a lot of time in the sim clinic learning and honing our skills. In contrast, we spent a lot of time in didactic classes in first year. It has been a big difference doing dentistry instead of listening to lecture all the time.
 
The biggest challenge of second year is time management for sim lab work. It has been such a great transition from sitting in lecture to being in the sim clinic and rotations in clinic. But not having that extra free time to work on projects is hard.  
 
I wish I had known to take more advantage of the amazing faculty that we have at OHSU. They have such a vast knowledge bank about what direction to hold your hand piece or how to wax this more efficiently and so much more. I find myself catching tricks from them that I might have picked up a year ago and been ahead of where I am now.
 
The most rewarding experience in D2 has been being a part of ASDA. It sounds cliche or like a pitch, but the people in this organization are amazing. I can truly say I have made lifelong friendships while being a part an organization that works for my peers across the country.

My involvement with ASDA has helped me grow immensely both as a leader and as a person. I hope to continue to grow as a dental student and an ASDA leader in the years to come.