Although we are a little over two years away from our first students arriving on campus, it is critical that the School of Dental Medicine begin its recruitment of faculty and staff. In June, we kicked off this effort by participating in the Pacific Northwest Dental Conference (PNDC) meeting, hosting a booth to provide information about our new program to prospective faculty and staff. The booth was a huge success, thanks to Mrs. Lisa Brown, the SDM’s Administrative Coordinator, and Mrs. Tricia Gilmore, Administrative Coordinator from PNWU President’s Office, who arranged and staffed the booth (see photos). The booth was a huge success.
Approximately 2500 dental professionals registered for the three-day event. From the opening of the exhibit floor, the SDM booth was buzzing with excitement. Pre-dental students were letting us know they were interested in applying to the school. We had dental hygienists interested in returning to school to become dentists. And most of our booth visitors were dentists from all over the state interested in becoming faculty. Even Elvis made an appearance, and we are sure he would make a great SDM faculty member!
It was a heartwarming experience to see the faces of potential students light up when they learned about the unique academic and clinical program offered by the SDM as an alternative to the traditional dental schools they were used to considering. Many of them expressed gratitude for having more options available to them. One student stood out to us as she told us about her experience applying to dental schools so far. She described studying for the Dental Admission Test (DAT) as exhausting and terrifying. She has been losing sleep over the fear she feels towards this exam that could potentially make or break her hopes of being accepted to dental school. The SDM dean, Dr. Panagakos, was at the exhibit booth at the time and informed her that the DAT is not required to apply to the SDM. The pure joy on her face was worth every minute of being at PNDC. Her teary-eyed expression of relief proved that we are doing something right by giving students like her a chance at a different, less stressful admissions experience.
Next, we plan to hold faculty information sessions in Yakima, Kennewick, and Tacoma in the early fall for interested clinicians. We will provide information on the positions we will be advertising and answer any questions that clinicians may have. Be on the lookout for more details later this summer.