Lasting Impressions | Fall 2016

46 © NSU LASTING IMPRESSIONS e eight cameras primarily are used by third- and fourth-year dental students in the CDM’s clinic. Second- year students also use the DSLR cameras while learning in a clinical photography class. Photographs obtained from the cameras allow the students to document clinical data with great detail and to be able to show their patients what is going on inside their mouths while discussing the various treatment plans. “We can educate the patient and document the transition of the case—how it starts and how it nishes,” Verga said. “ e images also allow us to determine the best treatment plan with our faculty members once the patient leaves the chair.” According to Hack, the students take seven standardized photos of every new patient. “Aside from recording data at a very visible level, which can then be viewed and discussed with faculty while formulating treatment plans, the stu- dents learn how to operate DSLR cameras,” he said. “ e cameras are also available to record the progress of lesions and restorations and to enable students to produce a portfolio of their cases.” Another initiative the SGA in uenced was the renova- tion of the CDM’s new Simulation Lab, which opened in early 2016 and has become a great source of pride among incoming and outgoing students. e renovation project was spearheaded by Peter Keller, D.D.S., executive associate dean for nances and administration at the CDM, who had worked on the project for well over a year before the new facility was actually constructed. e lab’s renovation was com- pleted during a six-week period under Keller’s supervision. e SGA and faculty members practiced in and evaluated three di erent simulation stations, also under Keller’s direction and guidance, and o ered their input before the university made a nal selection. “ ey took our input, then selected one,” said fourth-year dental student Jared Gibby. “It is where we practice our rst and second years. Before you work on patients, you work on a mannequin. It’s where you learn the ne motor skills and steps needed for each treatment,” Verga said. “Our students were very happy to have it renovated.” Niessen said the students have proved to be innovative problem solvers, which serves as a key reason to why they were able to win a STUEY. “ ey came up with a lot of solutions,” Niessen said. One problem SGA members tackled was how to keep track of what dental chair a student was assigned to on a particular day in the rst- oor dental clinic. e SGA solution? Installing two television monitors similar to those at airports that are used to track arriving and departing ights. e dental clinic monitors show where each student is assigned to work. e nominal cost was covered by the university. Gibby, the current SGA president, is thrilled to be taking charge of a student organization that is so focused on getting things done. “We have 18 clubs within our SGA, and we really encourage our clubs to be active and do things,” he said. “When you are part of the SGA, you are doing things for the CDM to make our college better. We are trying to keep a legacy going.” Popular clubs include the Dental Missions Club, whose members make four to ve trips a year to third-world countries to provide free dental care to the underserved. Another, the American Student Dental Association, introduces members to national leadership conferences and guides them through the basics of civic involvement. Gibby is con dent that the 2016–2017 school year will herald great things. In Monitors show CDM dental students their assigned seats in the dental clinic. Continued from previous page