Over the course of two weeks, Aitor Clavero and María Mesquida, year 4 students from the Bachelor’s Degree in Dentistry, had the opportunity to study clinical cases and take part in a continuing education course on implant restoration alongside students from the Rutgers School of Dental Medicine.

This was the first exchange with the American university, organised as the result of a cooperation agreement between the two centres signed thanks to the support and collaboration of Dr Rosa Chaviano (Associate Dean of Admissions) and Dr Herminio Pérez (Assistant Dean of Student Affairs) from the Rutgers School of Dental Medicine. According to Aitor, “I chose to take part in this course because I wanted the opportunity to spend time abroad. The level of the university and its location, close to New York, make it the ideal place.” Furthermore, “having the opportunity to become Rutgers School of Dental Medicine students for a few days helped give us a first-hand look at how American universities work and their perspective on dentistry”, he added.

The two students from UIC Barcelona also commented on just how this personal and academic experience has contributed to their growth. “We had the chance to see that while most clinical treatments are the same in the two countries, the manner in which the patient’s course of treatment is coordinated, as well as the relationship between colleagues and with the patient and teachers, is completely different, due to their culture.” In this regard, Aitor Clavero pointed out that “the knowledge we acquired in our years at UIC Barcelona enabled us to learn from their approach to work and dentistry, while giving us the critical thinking skills necessary to reflect on how we want to practise and what kind of dentists we want to be.”