Day in the Life of a Navy General Dentist

With four years of experience as a LT in the the Navy and having worked in now a handful of different clinics serving a diverse service members from Marines, pilots, to sailors, I'd like to share what a few typical days can look like as a general dentist in the US Navy Dental Corp.

Officer Dress Blues Inspection at NMRTC- Lemoore, CA.

For those that are new to our blog, here is a little background of my military career:

I am a HPSP recipient and commissioned as an Ensign/O-1 when I began dental school at UCSF School of Dentistry in 2018. I received a full-ride scholarship to the dental school, a housing stipend, and health insurance. When I was in dental school, I did not have any military responsibilities until completing Officer Development School (more on that to come). I owe a 4 year service repayment to the US Navy in return for my four years of doctorate education. I completed my first two years in a credentialing tour at Naval Medical Center, San Diego. I'm currently finishing my second and final tour as a general dentistat Naval Medical Readiness Traning Center, Lemoore, CA (a naval air station in Central California).

Day In the Life of a Navy General Dentist:

A fine Navy Day as we like to call it can consist of a combination or rotation of patient care, administrative tasks, and leadership opportunities. Our hours are typically 0700-1600 with a 1 hour lunch break and dedicated weekly time for PT.

Clinical Days:

On days dedicated to clinical work, I provide a full scope of general dentistry ranging from exams, operative treatment, to triage (referred to in the military as sick call). One of my favorite aspects of the Navy is our clinical capacities. I'm lucky that every clinic I've worked at has digital dentistry capabilities to fabricate and deliver same-day crowns. We are equipped with fantastic labs with teams also designed to help us deliver indirect restorations.

My favorite part of Navy Dentistry that is insanely unique to a military treatment facility is being able to track a patient’s dental history in our records from the first year they enlist or commission to present day. With this in mind, we can closely follow up with our patients and take a more conservative approach to dentistry. We are guided by specific military instructions to proper diagnosis and treatment. This dental readiness classification determines their deployability and helps us to be more conservative in our treatment.

Administrative tasks:

Collaterals and military officer responsibilities is what distinguishes a military dentist from a civilian dentist the most. In addition to our clinical roles, every Navy LT is assigned a "collateral duty", which is a job that contributes to the needs of the Navy outside of direct patient care. For example, I served as the patient safety officer and digital dentistry expert. I am in charge of overseeing all operations that ensure the highest standard of patient safety in our health care delivery model. On a day to day, this takes in the form of completing observations, running analysis reports, and relaying this to our senior leadership. As digital dentistry expert, I train dental assistants and junior dentists on how to incorporate a digital work flow using CAD/CAM into our work to expeditiously ensure our warfighters remain dentally ready for the mission. Think of roles that an office manager may usually take on are divided among the dental team. Outside of collaterals, other military related tasks ensure that we are prepared to be deployable at all times such as maintaining our military bearing with routine uniform inspections, physical fitness (PRT), urinalysis, and annual trainings.

We are reminded that we are military officers first. We are required to complete a military combat training once every three years through fire-fighting, TCCC, C4, or gas chamber training. There are unique opportunities to earn pistol and rifle qualifications. This will earn you ribbons on your uniform! 

Leadership Roles:

In the Navy, there are ample opportunities to develop your leadership skills by leading officers and enlisted service members. I've had unique opportunities to collaborate with Navy dental specialists to promote education and patient care across our clinics. I've learned to train enlisted members with no dental background to work diligently as a dental assistant and mentor their paths to a specific career path or college beyond the Navy. Mentorship and education have always been cornerstones of how I gain professional fulfillment and I'm glad I've had the opportunity to work with some incredible leaders in the service.

I will also add that my experience is limited to occuping a blue side CONUS billet. I have never deployed, gone overseas, nor on a ship which are all unique aspects of Navy Dentistry. If you are curious about a particular experience, feel free to ask and I'm happy to connect you with a colleague of mine.

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DISCLAIMER

The views expressed in this website are those of Dr. Jenny Giao and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Department of the Navy, Department of Defense, nor the U.S. Government.

The contents in this website are for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Advise with a qualified health provider regarding health concerns. The continued use of this website results in the acceptance of these terms and conditions in full. Dr. Jenny Giao assumes no liability whatsoever for results obtained or loss/damage incurred as a result of application of any information presented herein and cannot be held responsible.