DEPUTY Chief Medical Officer, Dr Karen Boyle, on Wednesday, charged the 2019 graduating class of the Division of Health Science Education’s Dental Assistant Programme to have the right attitude to work and always strive for excellence.

Some 20 students graduated from the programme held at the Grand Coastal Hotel, where Nafeeza Benn of New Amsterdam was named Best Graduating Student. The students of the one-year programme will now serve at varying public health institutions across the country.
Dr Boyle reminded the students that completing the Dental Assistant Programme is a start on the journey towards greater things.

“This is just a stepping stone to becoming something more. What you have accomplished now, I want to call it your foundation. The most important thing in a building is the part we never see, the foundation. And that foundation has to be strong, the strength of the foundation determines how high the building can go. Your attitude is part of that foundation,” Boyle said as she delivered the feature address, on behalf of Minister of Public Health, Volda Lawrence.

With the right attitude, Dr Boyle told the students, their achievements could be limitless.
“Have that right attitude, once you recognise that your altitude is determined by your attitude, have timeliness for opportunities, have tenacity even though life may throw you curve balls; you keep focused with your eyes on the prize; remain inquisitive; be time conscious; be ubiquitous; be disciplined, dependable; and have a spirit of excellence. I assure you there will be no limit to how far you can go,” she said.

All of the students agreed that they had no plans of simply remaining dental assistants and, while many of them said they are headed to becoming full blown dental surgeons someday, valedictorian Benn has her sights set on becoming a psychologist.

“This is just the beginning of things to come. I want to study psychology and become a psychologist, so that’s my next step. I would remain in the dental field but with a degree in psychology. The opportunity presented itself, so I decided to grab hold of it and enter the programme. When I came into the programme, I learnt that dentistry is about so much more than just extracting teeth,” Benn shared.

She described the feeling of completing the one-year programme and topping her class as a bitter-sweet moment.

“I’m happy to be the top student but then it’s sad leaving people you’ve known for one year and you’ve built bonds with,” she said.

Benn also copped the award for Best Student of Psychology.
Akeela Deeno was adjudged the Best Graduating Student of Region Five while Abiola Patoir was recognised as the second Best Graduating Student from that Region. Najuma Christiani was the Best Graduating Student of Region Three.

Patoir was also awarded for being the Best Student in Infection Control and Christiani was the Best Student in Dental Assisting and Dental Charting. The award for Best Radiology Student went to Esther MacCloud.

Dwayne Barry, who was one of only four males in the programme, won the Most Improved Student award and was also the third Best Graduating Student. The Best Clinical Student prize went to Dellon Lewis.