John McQueen shares four pieces of advice to help overcome imposter syndrome and discusses embracing growth is the perfect antidote.
As a young dentist, standing on the precipice of the rest of your career is scary. If you’re anything like I was, then you’re just waiting to be discovered as a fraud and for your registration to be revoked.
Add the endless sea of near-perfect smile makeovers on Instagram, and now your feeling of inadequacy is almost paralysing. If you’ve ever struggled with the demons of imposter syndrome, then it’s important to realise that you’re not alone, and that there are effective ways to overcome them.
In this article, we’ll explore four key themes to overcome imposter syndrome.
Never stop learning
You don’t know what you don’t know, but committing yourself to high quality education will help you find out. Embrace your inner geek and attend as many courses, webinars and conferences as you can. Not only will your confidence grow but the knowledge you acquire will have a positive impact on patient care as well.
In addition to this, seek out experienced mentors who can support your career. Learning from those who have walked the path before you can provide invaluable insights and help you navigate the challenges you encounter. It’s important to remember that even the best clinicians in the world started out where you are now.
Take your time
I know it’s a cliché, but Rome wasn’t built in a day. Imposter syndrome can often manifest from the pressure for immediate success. Dentistry is much more difficult than you may think, and true mastery of the profession is in the journey, not the destination.
Instead of rushing through procedures, immerse yourself in the day-to-day and absorb the knowledge and skills you are acquiring.
Be your own biggest critic, but be kind
Critical appraisal of my own work is probably one of the most effective ways I learn, but I’m guilty of focusing on the negatives. While you should identify the areas where you need to improve, it is equally important to celebrate your accomplishments and acknowledge the areas in which you excel.
Once something becomes routine in your eyes, it’s easy to take it for granted, but it’s nice to take a step back and look at the bigger picture.
I mentor a few younger dentists and whenever they’re giving themselves a hard time, I take great pleasure in reminding them that they didn’t even know what mesial or distal meant about six years ago. An extreme example, but it rings true. Be proud of how far you’ve come.
Failure is a part of life
Failure is inevitable in every walk of life, and dentistry is no different – not a single filling or crown that any of us do will last forever.
I took failure personally when I was younger, but I’ve come to realise it was all due to a lack of experience – in dentistry and of failure itself. It’s important not to shy away from failures when they do arise. Set aside some time to analyse them with your mentor.
If your protocols were gold standard, then you can make peace with the fact that sometimes it just happens. If not, you have an opportunity to learn from the mistakes you’ve made and enhance your practice to help avoid them in the future.
Overcoming imposter syndrome is a journey that requires patience, self-reflection and a willingness to learn from both your failures and successes.
By embarking on continual development with a good mentor in your corner, being self critical in a realistic manner and embracing failures as an opportunity to grow, not only will you conquer imposter syndrome, you’ll also thrive in this incredible profession.
If you are progressing, you will be afraid. But I promise, confidence is found on the other side of that fear.
This article first appeared in Dentistry Scotland magazine. To receive a copy, sign up to Dentistry Club.
