How I Did It: Dentistry

Dr. Owusu is an American trained dentist practicing in Ghana, West Africa

1) How and why did you choose this career? 

I’ve always wanted to be a doctor since I was a young boy but had no idea what kind I wanted to be. I recall the days when my mom used to take me to see my cousin who was a medical doctor and I found myself so intrigued by seeing him in his white lab coat and assured myself that I would wear one of those white coats someday. 

I had no clue I was going to be a Dental Surgeon until my third year in undergrad at William Paterson University of New Jersey. It was during this time that I had a one on one chat with my school counselor regarding all the various health professions. Upon going through the dental profession discussion, I became very much enlightened about the field and immediately enthralled with it. However I decided not to put all my eggs in one basket so I made up my mind to apply to different professions as well.  I took the DAT, the entrance exam for dental school, applied to a few dental schools, as well as applied to the New York College of Podiatric Medicine. I was accepted into podiatry school while waiting for dental school interviews. I had my first two interviews with University of Louisville and Howard University, got an acceptance email from Howard University within days, immediately followed by an acceptance letter from Louisville. I decided to cancel my remaining interviews and prayed to God to lead me into choosing a school. After careful contemplation, I decided to decline podiatry school since my heart was not into it. I finally decided on Howard Dental School because it was close to home and also wanted to attend a historical black college.

 So many things led me into choosing this profession including the fact that I would be able to put smiles on people’s faces and restore their self-esteem. Secondly, it’s a profession where you can pick and choose your own desire working hours and have good quality time for family. Lastly, it gives me the opportunity to educate and assist in oral health awareness to underprivileged communities in sub-Saharan Africa where I’m originally from.

2) What is a typical work day?

My day starts from 9:00am and ends at 5:30pm with 45 minutes lunch break or sometimes no break at all depending on the schedule. I work in a private setting and schedule appointments for all my own patients. I also welcome walk-ins and emergency cases during the day. My work load includes anything in the general dentistry field except orthodontic cases. I do fillings, veneers, extractions, crowns and bridges, child fluoride treatment, scaling and polishing, deep cleaning, laser teeth whitening, exams and consult, root canals, pulpotomies, pulpectomies, complete and partial dentures etc. Cases that need referrals are always taken care of by specialists around me.

3) What is the most and least rewarding aspect of your profession? 

The most rewarding aspect which I cherish is the fact that I am providing care which leads to putting smiles on my patient’s faces and restoring their self-esteem. It’s always a pleasure to see my patients feeling good and having a good smile. Also, I am able to relieve my patients from extreme pain. I am yet to encounter the least rewarding aspect of my profession.

4) What educational requirements are necessary for dentistry?

First and foremost, to be able to get admission into dental school one needs to complete the necessary basic science and math requirements. You can actually take the necessary science and apply without completing undergrad or getting an undergrad degree so long as you have the required science classes and get a good score on the dental admission test (DAT), you are good to go. Most students always prefer to complete their first degree in the sciences and then apply. It doesn’t matter which science major you do in undergrad as long as the admission requirements are met. As for myself is completed a Bachelor of Science in Biology. 
The DAT is a major part of the admission requirements. Getting a good score is ideal for optimizing your chances of getting admission. 

5) Would you choose this care if you could make the decision again?

Without a heartbeat I would say yes. There is a great feeling associated with this profession when you are able to restore an individuals smile, self-esteem and give them their life back.

6) What do you know now that you wish you had known when you were contemplating your career? 

I would have take a  few business classes to broaden and sharpen my business knowledge since running a private dental clinic is a business on its own.

7) Are there any trends in your profession that concern you? What is the future for this field? 

Absolutely. More science students are now moving towards dentistry because of its prospective future outlook and the flexibility that comes with the career. As a result, admission is now more competitive compared to some years back when people looked down on the profession. The future for the field is bright as technology is playing a big part in many treatment advances.

8) Career and life balance- is it possible?

The main reason many people choose dentistry is because of its flexibility in maintaing a working and private life balance.  As a private practice dentist you have the opportunity to pick and choose your desired working days and hours resulting in making time for family life and other personal things.

9) Average Salary

The average net income for an independent private general  practitioner in 2009 was $192,680 for and $305,820 for a specialist as stated on the ADA website. The bureau of labor statistics states that the general dentists on salaried income earned up to an average of $101,000 a year, as of June 2nd, 2012. The earning power of dentist varies on a number of variables like experience, location, the amount of hours worked and their specialization.

10) Any websites you would recommend?

American Dental Association
American Student Dental Association
National Dental Association

10K and Counting!

HAPPY MAY! We wanted to thank you all for helping us reach our 10,000th viewer!! What started off as an "online letter" to our loved ones has quickly turned into an informative resource for many, and we couldn't be anymore happier! We appreciate all the comments, emails, and feedback we have gotten. Stay tuned for more informative posts, health tips, and a brand new WEBSITE coming soon! What would you like to see on OhemaasMD?

Pay It Forward: The West African Health Foundation

The West African Health Foundation is a non-profit, non-governmental organization formed by a group of physicians concerned with the poor health and nutritional status of the people, particularly children and women, of the West African sub-region. Founded in 2001, the primary mission of the foundation is to provide health and wellness education, have medical professionals render medical care, and donate much needed medication and medical supplies to the underserved.

Jemina and I had the pleasure of attending the WAHF 9th Annual Benefit Gala in March. The gala focused on gathering funds for the building of a Tertiary Care Center in Juaben, Ghana. The hospital, which is at the heart of the vision of the foundation, is a proposed 250- bed "green" facility.The gala also emphasized the previous projects WAHF has undertaken and their many volunteer opportunities.

 Through their tireless efforts, The West African Health Foundation has become a beacon of hope for a people that are in desperate need of aid and resources. Since it's inception over 10 years ago, they have provided services that have changed the lives of countless men, women, and children. Whether it's providing mosquito netting for beds in an attempt to decrease malaria infection, or offering breast cancer screening, WAHF is at the forefront of the ongoing battle to improve healthcare in Africa. From us at Ohemaas MD, we thank you.

For more information and to find out how you can help and/or donate, go to

West African Health Foundation

New Series Alert: "Pay It Forward"

As part of Ohemaa's MD's initiative to provide substantial information, we found it important to highlight others who are also working hard to make a difference in healthcare.

"Pay It Forward" is our way of bringing awareness to great individuals and organizations with a heart for helping others We also hope to provide links to other great resources, all the while drawing attention to important issues at hand. If you have an organization or program, or know one that you would like to be featured, please email us at ohemaasaj@gmail.com

Thanks!
Ohemaa's MD

The Father's Have Gone into the Forest to Look for Their Daughters

Mother crying for her daughter

In the dead of the night on April 14th, 234 school girls in the northeastern town of Chibok in Borno State, Nigeria were kidnapped from their boarding school after being recalled to take a Physics exam. 43 girls have escaped, 187 girls remain missing according to the principle of the school.  All of the other schools in the region were closed amidst threats from terrorist organizations who are against education, especially the education of young girls. The prime suspects are Nigeria’s Islamic extremist rebels, known as Boko Haram, a violent group campaigning to establish an Islamic Shariah state in Nigeria, whose 170 million people are about half Muslim and half Christian. They are also responsible for multiple bombings in Abuja just prior to the mass abduction and have been implicated in abducting some girls and young women in attacks on schools, villages and towns but this mass kidnapping is unprecedented. Boko Haram is an enemy of education, in fact, the name Boko Haram in slang terms means “Western education is sinful.” The extremists have been known to use the young women as porters, cooks and sex slaves.


How did it happen? A group of men dressed like militia shot down guards and stormed into the girls' dormitory claiming to be government forces sent to rescue them. They loaded the girls on a truck and took them towards the forest, but some of the girls jumped off the back of the truck and escaped. There are also some reports of girls escaping from the forest. The Nigerian President, Goodluck Jonathan, has been criticized for not doing enough to ensure the speedy return of the girls back to their homes. Some of the difficulty lies in the geography of the region. The girls are being kept in a dense forest that makes a ground level attack difficult and given the fact that the girls are hostages, an aerial attack is dangerous.

Some of the fathers and brothers of the girls hopped on motorcycles and headed into the forest in search of the girls. They followed the tracks of the kidnappers up to Baale village, where villagers told them the gunmen had passed through "and were camped with the girls in a creek some hundreds of meters outside the village." The villagers gave account that some of the girls had even been brought back to the village at gunpoint to fetch water. One of the fathers told CNN, "we were warned by residents of Baale not to proceed, saying they feared for our lives because our sticks and (outdated) guns were no match for the heavy arms of the Boko Haram gunmen," he explained. "The villagers warned us we would all be killed if we dared face the gunmen and would put the lives of our daughters in danger. We have therefore abandoned the search for our daughters since we know where they are but we don't have the capacity to liberate them," Mark added.

Perhaps these girls wanted to be Scientists or Doctors or Engineers or Mathematicians. Now they may be sex slaves. God forbid.

This is a very difficult to post to write because it appears that the situation is helpless. It appears that there is nothing that we can do in our own corner of the world while the girls are being entrapped and enslaved in another small, dark, heavily guarded corner of the world. But such is not the case. We can pray for their safe return and we can try and bring as much media attention to this as possible by staying informed and spreading the word. The brighter the light that shines on this situation the more heat the government will feel to ensure the girls are returned home safely. According to NPR, activists in Nigeria are plannig a million-women march on Abuja this Wednesday to demand their rescue.

Free. People. Everywhere.


Do you think the media is doing a good job covering this topic?

How I Did It: Optometry

Dr. Ngoddy is an optometrist in the metro Atlanta area. To ask her questions, comment below! 

1) How and why did you choose optometry?

      

      Interesting story, I attended Xavier University of Louisiana located in New Orleans, LA. This school is known nationwide for its role in getting African American students into doctoral programs. When I started college I was pre-med and had every intention of attending medical school. Alas, life had an entirely different plan for me. I applied my senior year of college for admission into medical school but my MCAT score was low. During my last semester of college I was riding with one of my college roommates discussing our next moves ( basically I was venting she knew her next move), and when I finally paused to take. Breath she said " you should look into optometry, it's mostly non-invasive, has a good quality of life and good pay- plus you will still be a primary care doctor and have patients." This conversation sparked something in me that day and led me to form my plan B. So while I applied again for medical school I also applied for the OAT and applied for optometry school. After being wait listed for medical school (even though my MCAT score improved significantly) I decided God was leading me in a different direction and I decided to follows best decision I've ever made in my life.

2) What is a typical work day?

​There are many different modalities in which optometrist can work. I chose to become an independent contractor so I own my own business and lease space from a Chain. Specifically, I lease space from a Sam’s Club located in Morrow, GA. I also provide fill in services for other doctors in the Metro Atlanta area. In the duration of my day I provide several primary care optometric services to patients including diagnosis and treatment of common ocular conditions such as myopia, hyperopia, and presbyopia (basically finding glasses/contact lens prescriptions), as well as notso common conditions like glaucoma. In the event that a patient requires surgical intervention or treatment beyond my scope I refer the patient to a specialist and co-manage the condition.

3)What is the most and least rewarding aspect of your job?

​Most rewarding aspect is that the majority of people seeking my services can have a favorable outcome with the prescription of glasses or contact lens. The least rewarding is havingto give someone bad information about their vision. Most ocular emergencies require immediate attention for the best preservation of vision however patients are often slow to act and this can lead to poor prognosis.

4)What educational requirements are necessary prior to applying to optometry school?

​Undergraduate degrees and the fulfillment of course requirements set forth by the optometry school you are applying to. Students also have to have taken and done well on the OAT for entrance.

5) Would you choose this career if you could make this decision again

​

          ABSOLUTELY!

6)What do you wish you knew about optometry before you started that you know now?

​That many optometrist are business owners. If I had prior knowledge I would have sought out business classes in undergrad to better prepare me for that possibility.

7)Are there any trends in your career that concern you? What is the future of this field?

          There is a very promising future for optometry, especially as many optometrists move towards more medical models in their practice.

8)Career and Life Balance,is it possible?

​In optometry you can work as much as you want and as little as you want depending on how you decide to practice. You can do anything from fill in once a month to full time in a practice or hospital setting. In fact many people join the profession for the great quality of life .

9) Average salary?

         90,000-110,000 I think

10) Any websites you recommend for further information?

         http://www.nationaloptometricassociation.com

         http://www.aoa.org/

         http://www.theeyepro.com (my business website)

Rest in Peace, Dr. Teleka Patrick

As a physician, facing death is an inevitable part of the job description. However when it hits close to home, especially to a fellow doctor, no amount of training can prepare you for the emotion you feel.

Dr. Teleka Patrick was a 30 year old psychiatry resident at Western Michigan University who went missing after leaving work on December 5,2013. Her car was found abandoned approximately 100 miles from the hospital in Indiana  with her wallet and credit cards inside. On April 7 a fisherman discovered a body in Lake Charles in Porter, Indiana which was later identified as Dr. Patrick. 

We may never know the circumstances surrounding Teleka's death. The Kalamazoo County Sheriff Office has deemed it an accident, but autopsy/ toxicology results are pending. During the search for Teleka,  the question of her mental health arose. On the day of her disappearance, friends and coworkers stated she acted "irrational" and showcased "erratic" behavior. Then Youtube videos were released which posed the question of whether or not she could tell the difference between reality and fantasy. The fact that she stalked gospel artist/pastor Marvin Sapp also shed light on a serious issue Dr. Patrick was facing. 

I do believe that Teleka had some form of mental illness, however since she was the "healer" no one may have picked up on the signs or even inquired about what was going on in her personal life. She herself may have not found it necessary to seek medical attention; after all, she's a psychiatrist, right? Too often physicians have placed their own health in jeopardy just for the sake of helping others (remember when I was sick)? And too often by the time we do finally decide to take care of ourselves the damage has already been done.

A bright, beautiful woman has been lost and though I did not know Taleka personally, my sister in medicine is gone. Her family released this statement on the Find Taleka Facebook page:

"Over the past several months, you have gotten to know Teleka Cassandra Patrick. You’ve gotten to know her how we knew her and you’ve seen her bright and caring smile. She was beautiful, intelligent, and God-fearing. You’ve prayed for Teleka, cried for Teleka, and worked to find Teleka and we thank you. We thank you for walking this difficult journey with our family.

Teleka’s death is not the ending we had hoped for, however, the journey does not end here. As we mourn Teleka, we must also honor her; honor the life she led, honor her kind spirit and honor her devotion to God and others. Teleka had a passion and zest for life and no matter the circumstances that led up to her death, we are certain that she would not have taken her own life. Many questions remain, but what is certain is that we will love her forever and her legacy will continue to live on in the love we show to others.

Thank you for your prayers. Please respect our privacy in this difficult time.

The Patrick Family"

Rest in peace Taleka