An interview with one of POS' most successful graduates
Dr. Rani Seeth is a successful owner of two family dental practices in Illinois. She has been offering comprehensive orthodontic care to her patients since 2012 when she started taking Progressive Orthodontic Seminars’ (POS’) Comprehensive Orthodontic Series. She has treated hundreds of orthodontic patients and quickly transformed her practice with orthodontic services.
Having graduated with Highest Honors, we wanted to hear her story on how she was able to manage her time and patients. Read what she did to excel in her POS studies and help so many orthodontic patients.
| Snapshot: Dr. Rani Seeth, DDS |
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Q&A
Why did you decide to learn orthodontics?
There is a lot of orthodontic need where I work, especially since I see a lot of kids. I was referring out patients like crazy but a lot of them did not want to go elsewhere. They wanted to stay here. They trusted me so I decided to learn everything, including how to provide them quality orthodontic care.
Did you take other orthodontic training before or after learning at POS?
No, POS was my first and only orthodontic training. It is a fantastic seminar series and extremely comprehensive. I didn’t feel like I needed to study another philosophy after I completed their program. However, I am in other societies as well, like the International Association of Orthodontics.
How many patients did you start treating while in your 21-month training program?
I had started over 100 cases by graduation.
Wow, that’s impressive. Are you still doing a lot of orthodontics after you've graduated?
Yes I am! I’ve started around 250 orthodontic cases now. I am still thoroughly enjoying orthodontics, thanks to POS.
When did you start treating orthodontic patients?
I started treating patients in the Fall of 2012, soon after starting POS’ Comprehensive Orthodontic Series.
You’ve been wildly successful. What are your tips for students in the program?
Gain a big advantage by starting cases early. It may feel scary to do so, but it’s completely worth it. I started off with harder cases in the program and it gave me a good know-how. So now I am confident treating these harder cases and the easier ones. If I didn’t start early in the series, I would have been stumbling. Start cases early and you will be successful.
Many students are scared to start their first cases. What was your experience like?
Yes, I can relate. I was so nervous starting my first case. I remember taking Seminar 3 with Dr. Taylor and thinking, how will I treat a case successfully like POS recommends? I’m only at Seminar 3! But I followed the instructors and started a case as soon as I could. Now I’m absolutely enjoying ortho due to the instructors. Looking back, I am so glad that I listened to their advice.
Do you have tips for doctors considering learning with POS?
If you want to do ortho, take POS but don’t do it halfheartedly. You’ll invest a lot of time and money so you should take your training seriously. POS is the best comprehensive series available and you should be willing to give it a good go. POS is one of the best series you can do because it’s comprehensive and the support is phenomenal. However, plan your time before joining, otherwise you’re not doing yourself a favor.
What were the most difficult things that you encountered when starting orthodontics?
It was hard for me to know some of the little things initially, like how to manage appointments. It took some time to get things in order and feel comfortable. It took about a year after I joined to really start feeling confident in orthodontics. By graduation my diagnosis felt good but I was still a bit uncertain about mechanics. Starting cases early helped me to refine my skills and gain confidence in orthodontics faster than my peers, but there is a learning curve for everyone. If you keep studying between classes and working with instructors on your cases, you'll be able to move past those difficulties well.
Another one of hardest things was for me to get fully trained orthodontic staff. As you know, training staff in orthodontics is more involved than training them for typical general work. The first few cases I did it all myself. That was not efficient. I eventually took my assistants to the DA course and that really really helped them. After that, my assistants trained the rest of the team and it’s been a smooth process with them on board. I wouldn’t be able to do so many cases to this level without my skilled team.
You were very successful in the program. How did you learn so well?
It took a lot of dedication. Between each seminar I’d look up cases online, watch the streaming videos, and review the study materials from the seminar.
But because I started so many cases, I learned way more from these. I was able to ask real-world questions to the instructors. Case diagnosis/consulting was more educational than watching a screen and allowed me to absorb information a lot faster.
How was your experience learning at POS?
POS is a fantastic seminar series. It has made it possible for me to offer my patients a service which I did not think was possible before. I am absolutely enjoying ortho due to the wonderful instructors and support at POS!! Thank you.
