The specialty journey

DR AHMED SALEH

Periodontist and ADAWA Councillor Dr Ahmed Saleh completed his undergrad in Cairo in 2002 and started the process to sit the Australian Dental Council (ADC) exams in 2005. “I sat three exams,” he recalls. “The first was an English exam, which was a prerequisite prior to sitting the dental exams, Then I sat the theoretical exam in Egypt, and then the final practical exam in 2007, which was in Australia.

“Egypt is a beautiful country – a great country to visit with so much history and beautiful nature. But to try to make a career there it is a bit difficult because of the large population and high competition.

“I compared America, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, and Australia was definitely the way to go,” he explains. “It is a big country with great potential, the weather is beautiful, I love its rich nature and the beaches, and there is a lot of travelling to do within.”

Knowing he wanted to live and work in Australia, Ahmed said it was quite easy to find all the information online of what would be required, via the Australian Dental Council. The process took two years, and he moved here in 2008.

He said when it came to preparing for the exam, he was supported by his colleagues and friends who were going through the same process. The most challenging part of the process was sitting the final exam while suffering jetlag.

“Some of the people who sit the ADC exam already live in Australia, but for those who come from overseas you usually catch a very long flight to a country that you have never been to before,” he recalls. “There were so many changes. The summer becomes winter, and the winter becomes summer, and you are jetlagged when you need to focus on a very important exam.  The language and the culture are different. You also need to get used to looking at the opposite side while crossing the road!”

To other dentists planning on sitting the ADC, Ahmed advises to give it your best shot, so regardless of the outcome, you know you have done your best. “Once you have a plan then put everything into it,” he says. “Don’t put it as a side plan along with other things. There is a lot of travelling involved, and a lot of expenses, so it is worth putting everything into it.”

Ahmed adds when he was studying his under grad, he always knew he wanted to be a Periodontist. “It is something that I absolutely loved, more than anything else in dentistry, and when I finished the ADC, I wanted to become a Periodontist,” he says.

He spent three years working as a General Dentist in Perth, before applying for a Periodontist program. “It is quite competitive and when you have just come fresh from overseas, your resume still probably isn’t as strong as most programs would want it to be,” he says. “You need to do your primary exams and build up a local resume, and take some courses related to Perio or whatever speciality you are applying to do.

“After three years I got accepted in the Gold Coast and in Perth, but of course I chose Perth because I love it here.”

For Ahmed, specialisation is the most intense thing he has ever done. “You are focussing on your seminars, your training, your surgeries and your patients and your thesis – juggling it all and making sure it is all done efficiently. It was a lot of work, but it was all worth it in the end.

“I know some people who look at specialising for different reasons. But I think the main reason you should want to specialise it you love that speciality more than anything. Other gains will happen as well, whether financial or other, but it should be because you love it.”

After completing specialty training, Ahmed wanted to give back to the profession he loves so much. “I became Treasurer of ASPWA (the Australian Society of Periodontology WA) and then I became President of the WA branch, and then I also volunteered as the Treasurer of the Federal ASP. I was also a committee member with the RACD WA Branch for six years. Additionally, it was a privilege to teach students at Dental School (OHCWA) as a clinical tutor and then as a senior lecturer. I have also become an Examiner with the ADC and it is every interesting to be on that other side. I have a complete understanding of how candidates that I examine feel as I was in their same position 15 years ago. Most recently, I joined the ADAWA Council. 

"Apart from private practice in Perth, I have also worked as a visiting Periodontist in Regional WA (Geraldton and Albany) for five years. I wanted to provide this service as I know there is a demand for it, and I understand that travelling to Perth for treatment is not easy for all patients. 

“I don’t think there is two ways about it; the ADA is where you get to meet colleagues and make friends, where you get to meet potential employers, where you get to continue your education and learn more,” he says. “It is there you have support if you have any problems with patients or if you need any support or advice, so without the ADAWA you are really doing it by yourself.”

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DR SUNDAR VARADHARAJAN

For Prosthodontist Dr Sundar Varadharajan, the journey to become a specialist was a long one, but very rewarding.

Sundar did his undergraduate program in Southern India and moved to New Zealand soon after graduation.

On arrival in New Zealand, Sundar went through a bridging program for overseas trained dentists at the University of Otago. “The program was an intensive 10-month training process, with both didactic and clinical sessions in dentistry,” he recalls. “At the end of the program I became familiar with how dentistry is practiced across New Zealand and Australia. This helped me a lot with the registration exam – the New Zealand Dental Registration Exam.

“The 10-month program was not mandatory – you could go and sit the exam without going through the training program, but as a new graduate I wanted to understand the system better,” he adds. “It was a long and challenging process.”

The registration in New Zealand was recognised in Australia, and Sundar and wife (Paediatric Dentist) Vaish Gopal, moved to Perth when Vaish was accepted into a speciality program in Paediatric Dentistry at the University of Western Australia.

After 11 years as a General Dentist, Sundar also decided to specialise in Prosthodontics from UWA. “I was always interested in managing some of the complex and challenging restorative cases,” he explains.

“When we do these complex cases, if it is planned and executed well, we are able to turn someone from a very compromised situation and give them back their aesthetics and function. I find this very rewarding.”

To others thinking about specialising, Sundar says his General Dentist experience was very beneficial. 

“If you want to become a specialist, especially a Prosthodontist, you have got to be a good General Dentist to start with. It is that experience that sets you up to take it to the next level of speciality,” he says. “The majority of what we do as Prosthodontists is General Dentistry but at a higher level of complexity and challenges. So, it is important to be a good General Dentist – and the only thing that will help you to get there is clinical experience.”

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