Graduate spotlight

Introducing Karishma Parmeshwan
Bachelor of Oral Health (Therapy and Hygiene) alumna

Why did you choose to study the Bachelor of Oral Health (Therapy and Hygiene)?
I’m from Melbourne and I really wanted to be exposed to the rural dentistry atmosphere and had heard lots of good things about working in rural communities where oral health is obviously a major issue.

I knew about Charles Sturt University and the Bachelor of Oral Health (Therapy and Hygiene) and about how the clinical hours were all about rural clinical placement.

What attracted you to a career in oral health?
Growing up I always loved teeth, so the idea of dentistry has never been foreign to me.

It was definitely a big change coming from Melbourne, being a city girl, and then coming to the country. So lots of changes, but good changes. The people out here are lovely and very supportive, and the patients I’ve had on placement were very patient and lovely. It’s been incredibly different but great!

What are the benefits of attending a regional university?
Having no traffic has been fantastic! Getting to sleep in and coming to class on time was great. The support out here is fantastic. All my tutors and the students I’ve been studying with are going to be people that I stay in contact with for a very long time and that’s really special.

What was work placement like?
I was placed in Bathurst, Albury-Wodonga and Wagga Wagga. I’m from Victoria so these were in New South Wales for the whole three years. It was a very different experience as it was public so I think I had a lot of different exposure clinically. It’s helped me to get where I am today as a clinician and I’m walking out of university and out of a degree confident to find a job.

How did you find the uni’s oral health facilities?
The facilities were really good. The staff are very supportive and the facilities were great at all campuses. Even though I worked across different campuses, I always had access to the resources I needed.

What was your experience like with the social side of uni?
I was lucky in that my cohort was very socially active and this was great being away from home. We would go out after clinic quite often and unwind after the long day. I wasn’t deprived or anything socially! I definitely had balance with social and study and the university organised a lot of events themselves so I went to these and it was lots of fun.

Now that you’ve graduated, what’s next?
I got a job as of last week. I got my registration at graduation day so I’ll be straight into it as soon as I’m home back in Melbourne.

What’s been your greatest highlight at Charles Sturt?
I’m a big-time traveller and I know the travel was interstate but it was really good to sort of go around those rural New South Wales communities and just really fun and exciting. You don’t always know what’s going to happen tomorrow and that’s exciting.

What advice would you give someone wanting to study oral health?
Be open-minded about everything. Be prepared financially and socially. Accept people from different background and communities – obviously people are different whether they are from the city or rural areas. Just be open-minded and willing to take on new opportunities and there’s plenty to take advantage of during those three years at Charles Sturt!