Colton Hartline
Bethany College Class of '15
Email- [email protected]
Twitter- @coltonhartline
Major: Biology
Minor: Business, Sustainability
Email- [email protected]
Twitter- @coltonhartline
Major: Biology
Minor: Business, Sustainability
Strengths and WeaknessesI believe my strongest attributes are my professional attitude and concern for the needs of others and I owe both of these characteristics to my parents. My mom’s concern for others and her love to serve really influenced me growing up and my passion in dentistry. And Professional demeanor and personal integrity has always been something my dad has strongly pushed on me. I believe a person with a career in dentistry must possess these strong characteristics to be successful and happy. If someone is going into dentistry without a strong passion for helping others I don’t think they will be truly happy with their career. Dentists have such a wonderful opportunity to help and serve people in need and for someone to go into dentistry not having a concern for others would be a waste to the dentistry field. I understand through past experiences that dentistry is a very self-regulating profession in which the patient places a huge amount of trust in the dentist. A dentist must have a strong professional attitude and integrity to always keep the patients best interest in mind. A dentist without the patient’s best interest is sure to lose creditability and business, ultimately resulting in failure.
My weakest attribute I believe to be is my interpersonal skills. Being outgoing and social has always played a huge obstacle in my life, but I quickly realized after my first few shadowing experiences that I was going to have to overcome this obstacle. I began to think of ways I could improve my interpersonal skills and ended up applying to become a server/waiter. It has been a bumpy and difficult road but through some quality training I was able to develop some strong skills that have carried outside the restaurant and have strengthened my overall interpersonal skills and confidence. Without having strong interpersonal skills I believe that would create a huge hurdle between me, as a dentist, and my patients, and that’s why I’m continuously focused on improving my interpersonal skills. |
Leadership Positions
I’ve learned a variety of things from my experiences, including that being in a leadership position stresses the importance of decision making, integrity, and compassion. This became especially apparent through my leadership positions in Younglife Capernaum. My friends in Younglife Capernaum depended on my decision making and it became essential to always keep their best interest in mind. Dentistry is a very independent field where the patient puts a huge amount of trust into the dentist. And a dentist without a strong sense of decision making and integrity wouldn’t always keep the patients best interest in mind. That’s why leadership skills among health care professionals are a necessity, and the positions I have held and will hold will prepare me to become a dental professional. |