Dental school has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. It will not be stressful unless you make it stressful for yourself.
Born and raised in Montreal, Jessica Italia is 28 years old and a fourth-year dental student in the Class of 2021.
Describe yourself in one sentence.
I consider myself to be someone with a lot of joie de vivre despite whatever hurdles come my way. I am also told that I am quite good at making my friends or anyone in my presence feel at ease with my big smile and slightly funny humour. Oops, that was two sentences.
Tell us about your journey to medical/dental school.
I always knew that I wanted to pursue a career in the healthcare sphere but wasn’t quite sure exactly which one until about age twenty-two. I attended Dawson College for CEGEP while studying First Choice Health Sciences and then pursued an undergraduate degree at McGill in Honour’s Psychology. Although I didn’t pursue the typical path of a dental/medical student, I have no regrets at all when it comes to my undergraduate program. I gained invaluable knowledge —knowledge that certainly still comes in handy on the daily when communicating with my patients. Following the completion of my bachelor’s degree, I spent one year working as an Applied Behaviour Analysis therapist, which, don’t get me wrong, I thoroughly enjoyed, but soon realized that it was not what I wanted to dedicate my life to doing. At that point in my life, I strongly considered careers in medicine, optometry and dentistry and after lots of thought and many discussions with friends, I set out on my path to apply to dental school. I loved the idea of maintaining a flexible lifestyle, while still being able to transform the lives of patients. What also drew me to dentistry was the ability to retain my independence as a professional by eventually being able to open up my own practice, allowing me to set my own business and career goals.
I was twenty-two at the time and unfortunately was not accepted into my dream program that year. I had my heart set on dentistry and wanted to spend the next year working and increasing my knowledge in the field and decided to complete a one-year master’s degree studying the social and psychological consequences of living with chronic orofacial pain. Spending time with the faculty members and familiarizing myself with the clinic really reassured my career choice. To this day, I am still so grateful for being accepted into the DMD program the following year. It’s been a wild ride and it was worth every second.
What has been your most impactful or memorable experience since starting medical/dental school?
My best friend and I are very proud to have had the pleasure of pioneering a new club within McGill Dentistry/Medicine, Health Queer Professionals (HQP). In two years, our club has grown from two to now 161 members! HealthQueer Professionals is an open club for all medical and dental students identifying as members of the LGBTQ+ community, as well as our straight and cis allies. Our aim is to enhance and sustain the health and well-being of the queer community within the two faculties at McGill. We organize fun activities; create a safe community; raise awareness on current issues; and most importantly, embrace, promote and support our cultural diversity. Feel free to join our group, or send us an e-mail at hqpmcgill@gmail.com for more information!
What is something little known about you?
I am quite proud to say that I played the bassoon in high school and rocked it 😉
I’m also in the Canadian Armed Forces as part of the Dental Officer Training Program (DOTP) and will be working as a military dentist for the next three (or more) years. To give you some background with regards to this career path, I knew almost nothing about the CAF prior to dental school. I decided to apply to this specific program within the military during my first year of dental school, following a presentation given by a military dentist. He was recruiting dental students for DOTP, and after listening to his talk, I knew this path was right up my alley. I would have the opportunity to work with a team of general dentists, periodontists, prosthodontists and oral surgeons all while having access to the highest end and newest technology. I knew that working as a military dentist would also allow me to feel as if I’m part of a community and would eventually give me the opportunity to be deployed on operations all around the world. Of course, the salary and benefits during dental school are always a plus and prevented me from having to dip into my line of credit.
What is something you wish you knew before entering medical/dental school?
The hard part is over —now is the time to take advantage of the next four amazing years.
Do you have any advice you would like to give to future cohorts of dental students?
You have worked SO hard to get to where you are right now. Give yourself credit, take a breath of fresh air and enjoy the next four years. Now is the time to really take advantage of the professors, clinic instructors and all the McGill staff who have your best interest at heart and have so much invaluable knowledge to share with you. Dental school has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. It will not be stressful unless you make it stressful for yourself. As long as you put in the work (which you all know how to do, considering you’ve made it this far), you will thrive, whether it be in the first two months of pre-clinic or in the last six months of dental school. McGill’s dental program assures that all of its students graduate as great dentists, so there is no need to worry or beat yourself up about screwing up your first class 2 preps! I mean, who doesn’t anyway. There is nowhere to go but up from here, enjoy it!
What is the most "useless" talent you have?
Binge-watching 16 seasons of Grey’s Anatomy in a couple of months. I am also very good at juggling three clementine’s at once.
What is your favorite way to pass time in Montreal?
Being a huge foodie, I love discovering new and trendy restaurants in different areas all around Montreal.