Growing up, I wanted to be a rock star. Then a spy. Then a scientist.
At one point in high school I was told that women are much less likely to go into Math and Science fields. This didn’t sit well with the defiant young woman I was at the time, so I decided that I would pursue a career in these “manly” fields despite my natural aptitude for and enjoyment of English and History. Like many other egghead-types, I was drawn to medicine and decided that I would become an obstetrician. What’s not to love about delivering babies and caring for women?
I found out when my Aunt Susan (Dr. Widick) allowed me to “shadow” her prenatal doctor appointment while she was pregnant with her second little girl, Allie. Susan was a woman of the sciences herself and I had looked up to her a long time. She was a successful dentist and business owner at the time, so besides being the coolest gal my uncle could have possibly married, she was also a perfect professional role model for me.
Dr. Widick had a very congenial, funny, and blunt obstetrician. After she explained to the doctor why I was there, he promptly said, “No! Don’t do what I do!” and went into a list of why obstetrics was not the career path for me (insurance woes, babies being born at all hours of the day, etc.) The last thing he said was, “You should go work with your Aunt! She’s got the right idea.”
And that stuck. I already looked up to Dr. Widick personally. It was entirely likely that she had the right idea with the professional path she had chosen as well; the insurance was less painful with dentistry and the hours were certainly preferable! That very summer I was lucky enough to work in Dr. Widick’s dental office. I mostly helped with filing and clerical-type work, but I also chair-side assisted with family member patients and got a good feel for a private dental practice. Not only that, but I got a good feel for the kind of practitioner I wanted to become, whether that would ultimately be medical, dental, or something completely different. Dr. Widick has such an amazing way with people. She makes it known how much she genuinely cares about their concerns without being sappy. She would have made a great teacher as well because she has a knack for explaining procedures and diagnoses to patients (as well as explaining what she is doing and why she is doing it to the high school kid whom she let come work in her office!) I continued to work in her office and learn from her on occasional breaks from high school, even into my winter breaks from college and dental school. I realized that this was a pretty amazing career. Sure, the 8-5 workday was appealing, but there are so many other aspects to the dental field that affirm that it might be the best gig out there: getting to work in the healthcare field, meet great patients, work with my hands, work with some pretty amazing new materials and technology, get people out of pain quickly, give people options to improve their smile, give people the ability to eat more comfortably (or at all!), the list goes on!
Dr. Widick’s influence was still strong when I chose to go to the University of Missouri- Columbia for undergrad. I loved every minute of it. Our extracurricular activities at Mizzou were very different: Dr. Widick still keeps in touch with some of her sorority sisters, I discovered that Greek life wasn’t for me after a year. I loved residential life so much that I became an RA. I’m pretty sure I was better at gaining the “Freshman 15″ (and then some) than Dr. Widick! We both peppered our resumes with jobs and volunteer work in various biology labs and hospitals, and various other campus organizations. Whatever we each did, apparently it worked! We both got accepted into UMKC School of Dentistry on our first try. (I do think I had a considerable advantage since I had a referral letter from former Student of the Year: Dr. Widick!)
Throughout dental school, I had a Guardian Angel of sorts in a small office in Independence, Missouri. Whenever I was just sure I had flunked a test or angered a professor, Dr. Widick was there to reassure me. In hindsight, I wish I had utilized her more. I’m sure my husband also wished this so he didn’t have to be quite so stoic throughout those 4 years. Those two people were instrumental in my success in dental school.
And now here I am. I get to work in a profession that I love with a mentor I respect and admire. I consider myself both lucky and smart for choosing this career path!
(And by the way, while Dr. Widick has many amazing qualities, computer proficiency does not appear to be one of them. So I feel comfortable gushing about her in this medium as I am pretty confident that she will never read it!)
