A DAY IN THE LIFE OF A FINAL YEAR DENTAL STUDENT

Ever caught yourself looking forward to being a finalist? Or even wondered why finalists are always complaining about procedures and their workload? This was me a few months before I became a finalist and now that I'm one, all I can say is final year is crazy.

One would think that after more than 7 years in medical school, there's nothing it would throw at me that I wouldn't be able to withstand but this final year has been filled with cruise, anxiety and tears.

Here's a recap of my day as a final year dental student rotating through the Periodontology department.

6:15am: My body alarm wakes me before my phone and I lay in bed, eyes open and annoyed that I have to be up early. Getting out of bed is harder than it was yesterday but I do anyway because I must get this degree.

7:45am: I start my "long" journey to dental school. I hate the walk to school mostly because I have to cross two major roads and you don't want to know the evil thoughts that cross my mind when I'm crossing those roads. I must say I’m grateful for classmates that give me free rides to school, y'all are the real OGs.

8:00am: Time for first class. Why should school be starting by 8??? Why not 10??, 11am is just perfect imo. Whoever came up with that concept should be stoned.

I'm in class now and probably daydreaming about where I'd rather be. Class is supposed to run for 1hr 30 minutes but lasts longer in most cases.

10:00am: Clinic time. Remember I'm rotating through Periodontology, so that means I'm supposed to look out for patients to fulfil my requirements and "learn". There's a requirement of 40 Scaling and polishing procedures that I must do before I can sit for my final exams. Guess how many I have? 15. But will I kill myself? It's the person that's alive that'll swear the oath at Paul Hendrickse.

12 noon: I'm dripping in sweat and nursing my aching back and feet all because of BDS Ibadan. I'm scaling for a patient and because we're in the trenches, the clinic is unbearably hot and noisy. I'm angry at this point and I just want to be in my bed.

2:00pm: I sneak out of clinic after scaling and polishing because again, I can't come and kill myself. I'm back in class now, gisting with my fellow classmates who also can't kill themselves.

3:00pm: Afternoon lectures start and I try to listen in class but Ore proposes and God disposes because tell me why I'm in class but all I'm thinking about is what I'll wear for dinner.

4:45pm: The school day is finally over and I can get back to my room to sleeppppp and watch movies. If I'm lucky, I get a free ride back to ABH but if not, I walk under the hot sun.

5:15pm: I'm back in my room now and I'm full from the Amala and Abula I got at Prestige. My laptop is open and I know I know, I'm too serious. Why am I reading when I just got back? Lol, I'm not, I'm rewatching Grey's Anatomy for the third time but not before I set an alarm for 6:30 am tomorrow which is sure to be another eventful day.

Still thinking it's not that stressful and we're just exaggerating? Well, you'll be here one day and you'll look back and smile at how ignorant you were.

Oreoluwa Adeyemo