In this episode, we’re launching Protrusive Students, a segment dedicated to dental students while offering valuable insights for young and seasoned dentists. This section provides various resources including exam prep materials, clinical videos, and networking opportunities.

A key highlight of this episode is the introduction of Emma Hutchison, a dental student hailing from Glasgow. Emma shares her revision notes and resources aimed at helping students excel in their exams. Together, we’re bridging the gap between academic dentistry and clinical practice, fostering a collaborative learning community among dental professionals.

https://youtu.be/Dx6xz1RAnSM
Watch PS001 on Youtube

Need to Read it? Check out the Full Episode Transcript below!

Highlights of this episode:

• 3:32  Introduction of Emma Hutchison
  
• 5:49 Emma Hutchison’s Dental Journey and Background
  
• 10:54 Collaboration and Protrusive Student Notes
  
• 14:19 Protrusive Guidance
  

Alright, Protrusive Students, listen up! Here’s how you can get involved and access exclusive student spaces, including the coveted ‘Protrusive Vault’, typically a paid feature within our network.

1. Head over to the protrusive.app on your web browser.
   
2. Select the community plan, which is completely free.
   
3. Fill out the screening questions to ensure authenticity. We’re serious about keeping our community genuine – no bots or impersonators allowed!
   
4. When completing the information, simply indicate that you’re a dental student.
   

Now, here’s the crucial step: 

5. After filling out the form, shoot an email to student@protrusive.co.uk. Attach proof of your student status, such as your student ID card or a university letter. Also, let us know your expected qualification date.

Once we verify your student status, you’ll gain access to a wealth of resources and opportunities tailored to support your dental journey. Don’t miss out – join the Protrusive Guidance Community today!

If you loved this episode, be sure to check out another episode for students! Occlusion Questions from Students – AJ005

Click below for full episode transcript:
Jaz's Introduction: This is the launch of Protrusive Students. Now, the intended audience is students, but it's also suitable for young dentists, and even experienced dentists looking to reconnect with the foundations and the basics. Look, I've been doing this podcasting for a little while now, and the focus is always dentists.

Jaz’s Introduction:
And when I speak to students, you guys are so keen for the content, you guys love it, but you guys do admit to me that sometimes the level that we’re speaking at just goes above your head. So I really wanted to create a space just for students. So it’s going to be the PS episodes, the Protrusive Student Episodes.

Now as part of Protrusive Students, I’ve also created a brand new zone within our network, Protrusive Guidance, just for students. But again, anyone can join if they wish. It’s going to have a crush your exam section, student clinical videos, and an opportunity to network and liaise with students all over the world.

As per the values of Protrusive, you probably are the nicest and geekiest students in the world, so we deserve our own little place. Hello Protruserati, I’m Jaz Gulati, and this episode I have the great pleasure of introducing you to THE Protrusive student, Emma Hutchison. Emma’s a dental student in Glasgow, and her chief mission is to provide you with revision notes and resources so you can truly crush your exams.

You see, what I’ve arranged with Emma is for episodes where she gets to ask questions from a student’s perspective. When you’ve been experiencing and practicing for a while, you kind of forget the struggles of when you’re learning something for the first time. I think part of the success of Protrusive is that I’m such an avid learner and learning is one of my highest values, so I always try to reconnect with that.

But I’d like to have this opportunity for Emma, our Protrusive student, to ask me questions, which probably most dentists are too afraid to ask because it perhaps seems too basic, but that is what’s going to be the most valuable. So I don’t know where it’s going to go. Like people ask me all the time, like, Jaz, what’s your goal with Protrusive?

To be honest with you, I’m just really enjoying the journey. As long as I’m learning and sharing, as long as you guys are learning and sharing through Protrusivez Guidance, I’m in a happy place. So I’m not so much outcome centered at the moment, I’m very much process centered. And there’s a magic of that when you’re a learner.

So listen up, this is how you get involved if you’re a dental student and you want to get access to all the student spaces, but also if you verify that you’re a dental student, you will get access to the Protrusive Vault, which is usually a paid space within the network. The way to do it is you go to protrusive. app on your web browser.

You then select the community plan, which is free. Now, when you fill out the screening questions to make sure everyone is legit, I don’t want any bots, I don’t want anyone who’s pretending to be a dentist or a dentist student. When you fill in all the information, just say that I’m a dentist student.

But the next step is, once you fill that in, you need to email student@protrusive.co.uk. That’s student@protrusive.co.Uk and you need to prove to us that you’re a student. I want to see your student ID card or some sort of letter from university and also tell us which date you’re expecting to qualify.

The team will go ahead and match up the application on Protrusive Guidance to your proof, and then you’ll be allowed in the network. And that will also trigger us to add you to the Protrusive Vault space. Now I know what you’re thinking. Why so many steps, Jaz? Because I want to see, I want to see really how badly do you want to be in this.

Well, I think it’s going to be an awesome space. I wish we had this when I was a student. Sometimes to get the best people, you have to make things a little bit difficult because people who really want to be part of it, they’re going to self select themselves. So let me remind you one last time, apply for the community plan, which is free.

And then also email student@protrusive.co.Uk. That’s student, not a plural, singular, student@protrusive.co. uk. Make sure you spell protrusive correctly and give us the proof and also your expected year of qualification. And when you’re using your email, use your personal email. Try not to use your uni email because if you lose access to that, you might lose access to the network. So without further ado, let me introduce you to Emma and I’ll catch you in the outro.

Introduction of Emma Hutchison
It is with great pleasure that I introduce to you all. Emma Hutchison. Emma, welcome for the first time and one of many times to come to the Protrusive Dental Podcast. How are you?

[Emma]
Thank you. I’m good. I’m good, Jaz. How are you? I’m excited to be here.

[Jaz]
I know. I know. Right. And so we’ve got some really, really great stuff in store for dentists and for students. So it’s quite special. So those of you who don’t know yet, we’re going to talk about Emma today. She is a dental student, but we’re going to learn a little bit about her journey because I find it really inspirational, the whole journey element, how someone gets into dentistry.

And your background with nursing. I’m so excited to unpack more about that. But basically, I found Emma because you guys might remember on the Facebook group a little while ago, I posted that Protrusive is growing, it’s expanding, there’s so many ideas and stuff. And I feel is that I wanted to get some students on board a to help them instead of them.

You’re working as a locum nurse. I said, okay, how can we help you in terms of having some sort of income and stuff, but at the same time, how can we work together to help it make it easier for young dentists and students? And so what has come to fruition, which we didn’t know at the time, I didn’t know it would go in this direction at the time, Emma, is Emma’s notes.

Because I feel like I hit the jackpot with you, Emma, when you show me some of your notes, they’re absolutely impeccable. Right. They’re so, so good. So well done. But before we delve deeper into that, Emma, just tell listeners and watchers a little bit about yourself.

[Emma]
Yes. So firstly, I’d just like to say thank you so much for this opportunity, Jaz. I’m glad to be here. So my name’s Emma Hutchison. I’m 24 years old and I live in Glasgow in Scotland. I’m currently in the middle of BDS3 in my third year at Glasgow University in Dentistry. But I’ll say this is actually my fourth year due to COVID, we all had to repeat a year. So I was unfortunately the 2020 baby of dental school. So we all had to repeat our first year.

[Jaz]
But that’s not too bad Emma, because if you think about it, there’s a lot of dental students, right, who were in the peak of their, like, clinical third, fourth year. So I feel as though they had it quite bad. I feel as though if I could do first year again, Emma, don’t get me wrong. I’d have to do first year again.

[Emma]
Absolutely. Absolutely. And to have first year online, that was good, but no, I felt so bad for especially the fourth and the fifth years. Yeah, definitely. I would choose first year again.

[Jaz] Emma Hutchison’s Dental Journey and Background
But what got you into dentistry? Like you’re here at Glasgow. What attracted you to dentistry? And when did you actually do your nursing?

[Emma]
I’m going to go out on a whim here and say, I think a lot of dentists at one point thought they wanted to be doctors. I was one of those. You’re 14 at the time, you don’t really have a clue of what you want to do.

[Jaz]
One thing I’ll say, Emma, is just because it’s the first time recording, is with the international audience that we have, your beautiful Scottish accent, okay, I want you to talk a little bit. I want, it’s beautiful. I just want a little bit slower because the first time we had a Scottish guest, the girls just could not transcribe it at all. They just, for them it was Japanese. All right. You’re doing great. I’m loving it. Just maybe just for the international audience to slow down a bit.

[Emma]
Okay. So I definitely think I was one of those people who saw they wanted to do medicine, but for, at the time, I was 14 at the time, I didn’t really know what I wanted to do. There wasn’t much work experience for me to do, and I went and did a day’s shadowing in an oncology ward down at the hospital in Livingston, and I did not like it.

I really didn’t like it. Looking at it more and more, it really just wasn’t for me. And my mum’s a dental nurse. She’s worked in the NHS as a dental nurse for a long time over 40 years now. And she said, what about dentistry? So I thought about it and then work experience with her for a week. And she got me seeing all sorts of things. I was in GA sessions. I was doing sedation and things like that. I was watching everything and it was amazing. And I loved it.

[Jaz]
And it didn’t gross you out?

[Emma]
No, no, it didn’t. It was really, really interesting. Really interesting. And that sort of, I don’t know, fueled the fire, I suppose.

[Jaz]
And you worked a lot with the implant clinicians as well, right?

[Emma]
Yeah, so that was a wee bit later on, doing implants. I worked at an implant practice when we had our sort of year out due to COVID and things. I worked at a private practice, does a lot of implants and things in Glasgow. So that was really, really interesting.

[Jaz]
Which was amazing for us as a protrusive listeners and watchers because when we had Devang Patel on, about restoring the single implant. Like, you know more about implants than me, Emma, right? And so it was amazing to have you just to finesse those notes. They were absolutely brilliant. And so that came in so much handy. I started to see, wow, Emma’s got a lot of broad experience. That was a stroke of luck, I thought.

[Emma]
Yeah, no, it was really, really good. It’s really interesting, but had a bit of an unconventional route into dental school, I suppose. I think at school in what’s our sixth year or final year, you apply to dentistry before you get your results from what I was sitting at the time, which was my advanced hires, which I think is the equivalent to your A levels, I think.

So I was applying with my results that I got from my hires which was the year before and I think I got three A’s and two B’s. But it just didn’t really cut it for dental school I think they were asking for four A’s at the time So it was a bit of a bummer, but I said, you know what? I’m going to go ahead and I’m going to do really well in my advanced hires especially in chemistry because that was one of the ones that I got a B in, so kind of a biggie.

So I don’t know how some miracle managed to get an A in my advanced higher chemistry. And I thought, right, I’m definitely going to apply again. I take a year out, I’m working at Costa Coffee, and I try again, and the same thing, I just, I didn’t even get a sniff from any dental schools, didn’t get a sniff at all, no interviews, anything. I think my UCAT was also maybe a little bit poor.

[Jaz]
So you had the grades but no interviews?

[Emma]
No interviews, no. I think they were still quite hung up that I got that be in higher chemistry even though I had got my A in advanced higher and also it’s just so competitive to get in. So, so competitive. So fair enough, but I was so disheartened and that’s when my mum said to me, she’s a dental nurse, she said, if you really want to do this, go and do your dental nurse and see if you even like it.

I think a lot of people get to dental school and they’re like, not for me, which is fine. I managed to get a trainee job as an apprentice, where I went to college one day a week, was in the practice, the rest, and I absolutely loved it. I worked in such a good practice, well organized, fully staffed. It was great. And I applied again. I went on a course this time to help with my UCAT test. And here I am really, so yeah, that’s pretty much me.

[Jaz]
Perseverance, resilience, that can do attitude, you display all those. So, so well done. And I’m so glad you did that when you look back, life doesn’t make sense, but whether you believe in destiny or God’s plan or whatever you believe in, right?

Like you had those extra experiences. And I think honestly, Emma, like I know we’re still early, I think, the world’s your oyster, and I think as a dentist, like you’ve already shown me qualities that you’re going to be amazing, honestly, like the foundations that you have and the experience that you had as a dental nursing, that’s really going to set you up, I think.

Collaboration and Protrusive Student Notes
I think it definitely, definitely gives you an edge. So well done for persevering. And so it’s great to share that story with everyone. And when I see what we’re going to be, what we’re going to be sharing with the Protruserati and the students, it’s is your notes. And they’re so detailed and methodological.

And I think it’s wonderful that you, we had this thing that Emma, are you sure you’re happy to share in a world where students are hoarding their stuff? I said, Emma, I’m going to put your name on it. I’m going to say Emma’s notes, but how do you feel about sharing it we’re dental students all over the world, and I was just amazed that you said, you know what?

We’re here to look out for each other. Let’s do it. And so we’re embarking on this journey together to make dentistry tangible for students as well. I’m so, so glad to have you part of that. What do you think about that?

[Emma]
Yeah, I’m just, I’m so excited for it. So like, I understand the overwhelm and again, maybe that wee bit of a background in dentistry, it can be a wee bit easier to pick out. I suppose what’s relevant to the real world and what happens in real life, so, we learn about multiple different bonding systems and file sequences, like what do we actually need to know to pass our exams, and then what do we need to know moving forward in our career at dental school and beyond. So just sort of making that a wee bit more tangible and a wee bit more easier to understand, like that’s what I’m excited for. So it’s good. It’s good. I’m excited.

[Jaz]
Well, the way we’re joining forces is like your notes, which I’ll probably just bring up on the screen for those watching, for those listening, just take my word for it because that’s just beautiful. Like the dental material one is like amazing depth and detail, but not overpowering. It’s not too much. It’s just the right bullet point amount of stuff, which I love, but I agree what you’re missing. And I mean that with respect. And we all saw the students do is that real world aspect to it, which is why the theme we’re going for is monthly.

We’re going to record something that’s going to benefit all dentists. Right. But it will be a focus on how can we make your dental notes? How can we add that real world clinical attribute to it to make it more understandable for dentists and students? And be that bridge between dental students and the real world dentistry.

And I think that’s how we’re going to best join forces to benefit everyone. So for example, the episode after this, the one we’re doing is about adhesive dentistry. And so you have some top questions. So we’re going to be sharing your notes on composite, dental composite and amalgam and adhesive dentistry.

So those notes will be out there for all dental students, but you’ve got these real world questions to ask me, which we’re then hopefully we’re going to add that missing element that you hadn’t done school because you just don’t get enough experience at dental school and that’s okay. It’s not dental school’s fault.

So I think that’s how I think we’re going to best merge our unique positions. You as a dental student, who’s so detailed and thorough with her notes, me with my enough experience, real world and making things tangible to bring it together. And I think that’s what’s going to make your notes even more special.

[Emma]
Yeah, absolutely. Absolutely. And like I was saying, I know the overwhelm and dental school, especially the first two, three years. It’s just, what do I need to know to get me through the exams? And then you can sort of, you sort of lose the whole, you know, you don’t even think about it, the whole, what does this actually mean for me as a clinician?

And what does it mean for my career? So I think, especially third year, that’s where it sort of start starts to shift a bit from just theory, theory, theory. And then you’re thinking, wait, how do I actually put that into practice? That’s what I’m finding difficult at the moment anyway, so we’ll navigate it.

[Jaz]
That’s where we’re going to help together. And that’s where the Protruserati, we’re all going to come together on the new platform called Protrusive Guidance. There’s a whole section we have on there called Crush Your Exams. This is where you’re going to shine, Emma. Your notes can be there. We have example questions and stuff, but mostly just the depth and the beauty of your notes.

And then we have student clinical videos that we’re going to have to help students see there’s little things that, when you’re starting out in clinic, how to give local anesthetic, basic things, which I think we’ve really beneficial students have that clinical element to it. And that’s where I think the whole section run by me and you will, I think we’ll do really well to help students everywhere.

And dentists, actually, I think dentists will also be able to back to basics is a nice thing to have. But the other element which I’m really excited about is the community aspect. I think dentists can be an isolating profession. I’m sure you’ve seen it in your time as a nurse. It can be between those four walls.

This is the dentist, the patient and you and it can get a little bit lonely, especially if you don’t interact with anyone getting that mentorship. So what we’ve trying to set up is a safe space for dentists and students. How important do you think it is to have that kind of a safe space as a student? Is this something that you think is demand for out there?

[Emma]
Yeah. I think it’s hugely important for students to have a space to interact, to have that bit of an outlet. Sometimes sticking your hand up in a lecture theatre can feel, it can feel embarrassing. I don’t know, everyone else wants to leave or sticking into a message, into a group chat, asking your peers.

It can actually be quite scary because you don’t want to feel silly and you don’t want to feel like you’re lagging behind your peers, which isn’t the case. And I think that’s just in itself very human nature, you don’t want to feel vulnerable and all the rest of it. Especially in a room with a bunch of other people in their late teens, in their early twenties. So I think providing a space where it is open for students to talk to other students, different universities, different continents, like, it’s such a great idea.

[Jaz]
But Emma, I’d ask your thoughts on actually bringing dentists, like, I was debating whether it should be just for students, like a little space, or is it okay if dentists can also interact on there?

I think we decided actually, it’s a really nice bridge between students and dentists. And the way that we’re going to make sure that it’s a nice, safe environment is very simple. The entire ethos or what I’m trying to set up with Protrusive Guidance is, I want the community and the collection of the nicest and geekiest dentists in the world.

I don’t want all dentists. Okay. I just want the nicest and geekiest ones. And I think when you combine that together, that’s why I think that even our Facebook group, which we’re going to phase out, sorry to say people on Facebook, we’re going to phase it out because I want to go all in on the Protrusive Guidance platform. And I want this to be the place to go to when you want some advice, but you also might need a hug.

[Emma]
Absolutely, you might need a bit of a hug, and even from a student’s perspective, I’ve worked with probably over a hundred dentists, I’ll say, I’ve done a lot of locum nursing, sorry, but you just learn so many tips and tricks from everyone you meet, every new dentist that I work with.

There’s something something else that I’ll pick up and even being on the main clinic and university, I’ll speak to everyone and they’ll say, oh, clinician said to do this and different clinicians said to do this, you just so many opinions and tips and tricks out there. Why not share them especially to the to the younger dentist as well?

[Jaz]
I think of all things I think whoever’s going to be nursing for you in the future when you qualified stuff, they’re going to be so lucky. They’re going to be so lucky because you’ve been in their shoes. You walked a mile, you walked a hundred miles in their shoes, right? So I think whoever your future nurse is going to be is going to be very lucky and knowing that you also worked at Costa, I know you make a really good coffee as well. So your nurse will be well treated.

[Emma]
Yeah, that’s that.

[Jaz]
Emma, thanks so much for introducing yourself to the Protruserati. I’m so excited to go on this journey with you and see where it takes us to make dentistry tangible for young dentist students and dentists in general to try and make that bridge. I think that’s where the magic and the beauty will happen.

Connecting all of dentistry together, not just established dentists, but getting the students on board so that we’re all have this space to connect and thrive.

[Emma]
Yep, perfect. I’m just so excited for it. I can’t wait to see what it evolves into and just for people to take advantage of this and put it to good use.

Jaz’s Outro:
Amazing. Thank you. Well, there we have it guys, the introductory episode to Introduce Emma is completed and the next episode is Adhesive Months. We’ve got some adhesive questions about the longevity of composites that’s coming with Emma and every month we’ll release another episode, another revision notes in the Crush Your Exam section and I’m actually really excited to see where this leads.

So if you’re not a dental student and you know a dental student, please send this to them. And if you’re a student, don’t hoard this. Don’t keep it to yourself. Everyone’s going to find out about it anyway. Go and share, share the love. Let’s all learn and grow together. So I’ll catch you in Protrusive Guidance on protrusive. app.